


We Are Two

by Soruga0Bandgeek



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Other, SI-OC, Twin Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2018-08-11 23:24:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 167,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7911634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soruga0Bandgeek/pseuds/Soruga0Bandgeek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Family sticks together, through thick and thin, no matter how weird and insane life got, family sticks together. There was always the chance to runway, but the thought never crossed her mind because for family she would do anything. (SI-OC, twinfic).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn**.

**Summary:** Family sticks together, through thick and thin, no matter how weird and insane life got, _family sticks together._ There was always the chance to runaway, but the thought never corssed her mind because for family she would do anything - even if that meant believing that fate may have given her more than just this life, it had her remember bits and pieces of another.

In which life for one Sawada Natsume becomes more than what she thought (she had honestly prayed that it was _not_ like that story) only to be proven wrong (as always).

**Word Count:** 5172

* * *

_Part 1: About the Mother_

Nana Hayashi was a simple island girl.

Nana was raised by her single mother Alana Hayashi, alongside her uncle Toyo and her grandparents Kazue and Nao Bane Hayashi. She knew the love and care of family, of loving herself and enjoying her life.

She got to know the kids around the neighborhood and though they weren't the nicest bunch she still gave them an understanding smile and someone they could rant too. They in turn watched over her and showed her how to protect herself because word around was that _The Company_ was getting big and the heads were starting to set their sights out onto the other islands.

Scrappy, little Nana with her big brown eyes and rich brown skin never truly understood the nuances of what happened with her cousins – the kids from the neighborhood. She knew they enjoyed fighting and they would scrap with anyone who disrespected one of their own.

There was cousin Zack who was older than her by three years, whose skin was darker than hers and his hair a spiky mass of brown, he led them around and made sure they were all good. Then there was Mike who was two years younger than her, with peachy skin and dirty blond hair.

Esmi was her favorite, with her pretty brown curls and a freckled complexion, even if she too was two years younger than her, she was one of the girls she got along with the most and the one who showed her how to standup for herself.

Isaak who was the same age as Zack, kept his hair short and seemed to sport a permanent sunburn, his pale skin always a burning shade of red.

Just as much as they taught her, she taught them – she showed them what her family constantly gave her and they in turn gave just as much back. Nana was the little cousin they would always protect and she was the one who always carried around the band aids when the fighting got out of hand.

Always willing to have a good time, even if sometimes it ended up in a fist fight when her cousins got too rowdy at the beach, or when people over stepped their boundaries with her and ended up fighting _her._

And though it didn't seem like it, Nana wasn't as much as a ditz that people made her out to be, she was a good study and was quite an accepting person, even if she tended to be completely oblivious or misread certain cues (boys flirting with her, sarcasm).

To the point she was accepted into three universities and though she could have stayed close to home, she had decided to study in the land _Mamay_ Kazue hailed from. She studied at Tokyo City University and at the age of 21 had graduated in the top fifty students, while also maintaining a part time job.

She had visited Namimori, where her grandmother had once lived and had fallen in love with the peaceful town. Once she graduated she buckled down with the remainder of her savings, took on another part time job at the Namimori Diner while she applied to various teaching positions.

It was ever a wonder how she ended up dating Iemitsu (the man could be particularly blunt when he wanted too, even if it was embarrassing at the time). She had been more focused on working and getting her career going, but he had come out of nowhere, all bright smiles and heartfelt words.

Yes, in all her years of life Nana had always strived to give her best and most loving self to people and though her heart currently ached for the Island she had called home for all her life, as she cradled the crying baby in her arms, it was currently worth it to be so far away.

_Part 2: About the Father_

Sawada Iemitsu was a boy born to Namimori, Japan.

He was a boy in a land of dark haired and fair skinned people born with blond hair and light hazel brown eyes. He was raised by a woman who knew war better than the regular people, whose hands were able to weave pictures and create something from nothing.

Sawada Tomiko was his grandmother and the one constant in his life.

His mother Sawada Saigo was another story; she was a woman that he barely knew, a distant mother figure that had made a mistake in her life before she carried on by leaving him with his grandmother.

He grew up in the small town of Namimori, where everybody knew each other, where it was always quiet and peaceful and yet there was always something more to it. Iemitsu never got the chance to learn what 'more' was, by then he was constantly tending to a sick woman whose posture he could always recall was as straight as a ruler and was now nothing but a withering, hunched figure.

His grandmother rarely smiled, she had always been stern, showed him kindness when she ran her fingers through his hair or when she told him a story of an era long gone.

When she passed it was in peace, when the men and women in suits came he hadn't been surprised. He had been told once that he would have someone to watch him if she ever died, but these people gave him a weird feeling.

Something told him that he could trust them, but that he shouldn't give them his all.

When the man who called himself Schnitten Brabanters offered his hand, twelve year old Iemitsu gave him a hard look before he took it.

The soothing feeling that settled within was worth it.

He was brought to the world of Vongola, a people who had promised one Sawada Tomiko a favor – though the woman was a Mist through and through, her families intuition ran strong and she wrangled a favor out of one Daniela Vongola to protect her family in case of her death.

He was told that his grandmother was more than the old woman he had come to know and love, that she was once a favored assassin that had come through the Underworld before she disappeared without a trace. He learned of what happened to his mother, when contact with her had truly ceased and when he was told about her death Iemitsu didn't know how to feel.

It was 1979, at the age of fourteen that Iemitsu showed promise.

A game gone wrong, all Iemitsu could recall was a ringing sound, followed by a warmth that filled and soothed him. He opened his eyes and the usually light hues were a golden orange, a bright flame (unknown to him) dancing on his forehead.

It was here that Timoteo looked deeper into the favor that his mother and Tomiko had made, because Iemitsu's flame was Sky and who would have thought that the child they had taken in would be such a strong one.

When Iemitsu's training commenced the boy was fully brought into the Mafia, Timoteo keeping the truth of the boy's bloodline a secret.

Iemitsu would later come to find out and by then he would have proven himself as Vongola's Young Lion. At the age of twenty two, nearing the tenth anniversary of his grandmother's passing and the thirteenth for his mother, Iemitsu found himself going to Namimori with permission from Nono.

He walked the streets that he once knew, watched as the faces that once been round with childish youth had thinned out and continued on.

Namimori Shrine was a constant place for him, always burning incense sticks and praying for his grandmother to wish him well, like he had done all those times before he had left for school.

His stay became much longer as he once more took in the history of Namimori and why in his youth he had always thought there was more to the small town.

The town had been more or less founded by Sawada Ieyasu, his great grandfather who had died by the end of the 19th century, a man who his grandmother got to know by word of mouth of her own mother. Namimori was a place where those who wished to leave a dark life behind could come and start over; it took in those that were willing to try and had a strange way of maintaining a rather tame peace.

It was oddly enough the place where he met his sweetheart; the woman who would always hold his heart and keep him going and as he watched the love of his life coo at the baby in her arms, Iemitsu felt himself strangely at peace, even as he cradled another babe in his arms.

He felt as if he was finally had a place to call a home after so many years without one.

_Part 3: About the Twins_

Sawada Tsunayoshi and Sawada Natsume were born in Namimori, Japan.

Tsunayoshi got his name through his father's side of the family, while Nana had always favored the name Natsume long before she knew she was having twins.

Currently nothing more than being cute little babies mattered at the moment, keeping their parents awake at odd hours and at times having said frantic parents (mostly Iemitsu) placing calls back home to ask about childrearing and the do's and don'ts (for sure Nana).

By the time they were two the pair only knew Nana, Iemitsu not being able to constantly go back and forth between his job as easily as he had before. His absence was more obvious to Nana who had some experience with dealing with her husband's odd job hours and how they would take him away for weeks at a time.

And though she thought she would feel more on edge, having to not only take care of one child but two, Nana found herself with a cool head and smiles that made her babies faces light up.

She spoke to them in the languages she knew and was brought to near delighted tears when her eldest baby called her _mama,_ Tsunayoshi following soon after as he picked it up between the baby babble that he and his sister partook in.

By four years old they were walking around, Tsuna close behind his sister with his hand clasped in hers and the amount of pictures their mother took was near ridiculous.

A gentle tug on her shorts, Nana paused in her dishwashing looking down into the watery hazel green eyes of her daughter.

"Tsume?"

" _Mama,_ head hurts."

"Again?"

She nodded, face scrunched up in a pitiful pout. Nana washed her hands of soap, drying them off on the apron tied around her waist before she bent down to pick up the child.

"Okay, to my room then."

It wasn't the first time and Nana was sure it wouldn't be the last time her daughter would come complaining to her about her headaches. The medicine she stored in her bathroom for times like this came into use as she gave it to Natsume and tucked her beneath a blanket. Shutting the blinds in her room so that it was dark, Nana stayed by Natsume's side, brushing away the golden brown strands of hair out of her face and running her fingers against her temple.

There was a gentle exhale from her daughter, who had fallen asleep in seconds.

She stayed a while longer before she got up to resume her washing. Leaving her room she tried to hide a giggle at the way her youngest obviously followed her. It was another tug at her shorts before she entered the kitchen that had her looking down once more, this time a pair of doe-like brown eyes stared up at her.

"Tsume is gon be okay?"

"She just needs to sleep Tsuna, why don't you help me dry these dishes, hm?"

There was a familiar pout on his face that almost had Nana rolling her eyes as she brought out a step ladder big enough for the brunet to stand on and 'help' her. She helped him up and handed him a dry towel, before letting him have a go at all the clean, but still wet spatulas, spoons and plastic chopsticks.

The pair worked in mostly silence, Nana humming a tune and at times singing the words when Tsuna asked her too.

_Part 4: Realizations_

Jasmine Rojas had been a eighteen – or had she been twenty? When she _thinks_ she passed away and by passed away she meant killed in a freak school shooting. Which was really weird because hadn't they stated in the school code that all weapons were banned from campus, fat load of good that did anyone.

She became a statistic before she realized she had been one and all that she remembered was the sandy beaches of California and their stupidly cold water, a mother that was kind, but had issues letting her kids grow up, a father who was barely home, a pair of siblings that drove her up the wall and that she loved, and various jokes, memes, and comics that she had gotten into to relieve her mind.

_She was supposed to be dead._ ( **1** )

And though she wanted to giggle madly at the thought, she really couldn't, because yeah, she was sure she was supposed to be dead, yet here she was padding around a home that was slowly replacing the one she thought she once knew.

There were days she would wake up muttering in Spanish than in Japanese and then there were other days were she remembered an excruciating pain that had her near bawling. The days she loved the most was when she felt at peace, when she was more Natsume, the unknowing child of one Sawada nee Hayashi Nana and elder twin to Sawada Tsunayoshi.

A simple five year old that sometimes looked at her brother too hard, quietly judging and trying to understand _why_ the poufy haired brunet looked so familiar and not just because she lived with him. For some reason it had more to do with a story than the actual boy and wasn't that ridiculous?

Alluding life to a story because a girl who was long dead ( _was she really dead or was she losing her mind?_ ) found similarities between them.

How crazy was that?

( _Not that crazy, actually._ )

When things started to clique and make Natsume uncomfortable ( _because Jasmine wasn't real and she was wrong_ ), when at six years old, halfway through her first year of school she was defending her brother from the children that picked on him and called him silly and dumb, did Natsume start to give the idea that maybe her Tsunayoshi was _that_ Tsunayoshi.

But it couldn't be right, because the Nana she slightly recalled was just as silly and airheaded as Tsuna, the Nana she knew was loving and kind, told them stories and took them to the beach, showed them how to swim and color within the lines and do math's.

The Tsuna in that stupid story that stupid Jasmine liked to recall and relate too, was silly and dumb, he was lonely and sad, and the Tsuna she knew (and loved and adored) was always smiling no matter what and liked to braid her hair and cuddle with her, he liked to trace the words and numbers _Mama_ wrote out for them.

There were bad things that happened in the story if she remembered it right, lots of fighting and shooting and blood ( _she cringed at the shooting, it took one shot, just one to take everything away)._ Her family's life couldn't be that, not at all.

Not ever.

Then the Papa from the pictures showed up before they turned seven and he was just as familiar (he was warm and filled with lots of love just like _Mama_ ). She judged him when she first saw him, before she took his hand and by the end of the two weeks she was running up to him, arms raised so he could pick her up and toss her up into the air.

And then Papa left a week after that and _Mama_ was sad and Natsume knew hugs made people feel better, so she and Tsunayoshi made sure their _Mama_ got all the hugs and kisses she needed.

They were fine, they were normal, no way could that story (as fuzzy as it was, because really talking babies? Yeah right.) be her life.

/ | \

She was seven almost eight when she realized that _yes,_ that life was hers.

" _Tsuna!_ " she tried to scream, but her voice didn't work, didn't wail through the air like it should have alerting the townspeople nearby. She could feel a pressure telling her to sleep, to not resist, but that man had Tsuna and was hurting him with the way he had grabbed him.

Her temper flared and something else along with it – she wanted that man to hurt, she wanted him to let go of her brother, or he was going to hurt so bad. The man seemed to freeze up, Tsuna wrenching away from him and running towards her, eyes wide in fear with tears streaming down his cheeks.

Natsume wanted him to feel the terror she felt, the pain her brother felt, but most of all she _really_ wanted him to hurt – like in that movie with the little boy, who wrapped up people in a inky black mess and left them for dead ( _was that how the movie went or is that what her seven year old self wanted?)_

"Home, run home," she felt a sick feeling settle in her stomach when the man ceased moving his eyes staring straight at them, though his gaze was suspiciously empty. She wouldn't have been able to do it herself and she was glad that Tsuna grabbed her wrist and dragged her along.

They barged down the front door, not taking off their shoes (though Tsuna made sure the door was locked) before they ran to their mother who would have greeted them with her usual warm smile had it not been for the blood on Natsume's shoulder or the bruises forming around Tsunayoshi's wrists.

"Ba-ad men," hiccupped Tsuna as he buried his face in his mother's thighs to hide his tears, Natsume mimicking him as she too started tearing up.

A sound so soft escaped Nana that the twins didn't hear, she picked the two up (and she was strong, caring them like she did because they were too big now for that) as she set them in her room, locking the door and activating the security to the house.

What Nana didn't know that as soon as she did that a message was sent to Iemitsu, who stilled because he had always told Nana that the security was for emergencies only and for her to do so – well, Iemitsu was already booking a flight straight to Japan and was blown completely sideways when he found Vongola Nono boarding alongside him, a grandfatherish smile on his face as he greeted his fellow.

When the doorbell rang sometime the next day, Nana wasn't sure if she should really go out or stay locked in, it wouldn't be the first time in the last twenty four hours someone had rung the bell and pounded on her door. The house phone rang and she picked up the one in her room recognizing the number and feeling utter relief.

"Iemitsu?"

"I'm outside Nana."

She made sure the children were tucked in well before she rushed out, almost jumping into Iemitsu's arms and crying into his shoulder. She held herself back when she noticed the elder gentleman beside him and was about to greet him when Iemitsu picked her up in his arms and carried her in. She melted against him, not really hearing when Iemitsu told the man to make himself at home as he carried her to her room.

"What happened Nana?" Iemitsu was careful as he set her down on the bed, noting that the kids were sleeping. He kneeled down in front of her, hands stroking her sides as he looked up into her tearing brown eyes.

"Someone tried to grab the kids, Iemitsu," Nana spoke, her voice slightly croaked. "Tsu-kun has bruises on his arms and Tsu-chan had blood on her shirt, thankfully it wasn't hers, but oh –"

"Hey, hey, I'll take care of it, okay?"

Some of the older citizens who were Mafia related had already dealt with the body they found and the man's partner. Quietly Iemitsu thanked his lucky stars that Namimori wasn't the peaceful little town it seemed to be, that there were season, yet retired members of the underworld living around.

"Everything's going to be fine."

A week later the twin's flames (which had attracted the men before they found out the kids were, well his) were sealed and though Iemitsu knew it was for the best, the confusion that settled on the twin's faces when it had happened hurt. He tried to reach out for the warmth that he knew the two had, but it was locked away.

Another week passed by and Iemitsu bid his family goodbye, the twins and his loving wife bidding both him and Timoteo _-ossan_ away.

He hoped he made the right decision and when he came back two years later, the twins were almost ten. Tsuna was a clumsy little boy, who tripped over his own feet, but looked up at him with bright eyes, while Natsume was an over protective big sis who often tripped over Tsuna.

Though the memories (and flames) had been sealed away, he knew the twins would never truly forget what had happened to them. Not with the way Natsume seemed to look after Tsuna and the stories he got from Nana how his daughter got into fights and came home with bruises when the other kids started picking on her brother.

Now that worried Iemitsu and between Nana and him, they showed their children ways to protect themselves and fight back if need (where did Nana even learn how to fight? Then he remembered of where she came from and _The Company_ would have been running big at the time she was growing up).

He visited once more, a year later, something in his bones telling him to take the chance now rather than later.

The beach was a place he always saw his children come alive, the way they stayed in the water all day, how Nana taught them how to skim board and continue on along the shore. He loved the way that his children smiled at him, the way Natsume's eyes brightened when they were all together or the cute little scowls Tsunayoshi got when he tried to smother him with his love.

Upon returning once more to Italy, Iemitsu tucked the pictures of his family where only he could find them.

His family was happy and healthy and he would pray to all the Gods that they stayed that way.

_Part 5: And Now We Begin._

Tsuna and Natsume walked out of school, Natsume's arm slung over her brother's shoulder keeping him close to her side. At thirteen year's old, both children neither stood out nor were picked on as much as they had been when they had been younger.

The teasing tone and often times almost hurtful comments that were made ( _they don't have a papa, why do they look like that, you two are ugly, Tsunayoshi is dumb how can't he read the board or do the math sums? No good, no good! Who trips over air?)_ had tapered off in the last year of their elementary schooling.

'Clumsy' Natsume and 'No Good' Tsuna weren't names that they were called anymore, not when the people that had often mocked them were below them when it came to grades. Not when said kids were wary of the eldest of the siblings, especially once it was learned that she would not hesitate to fight back if it came down to it.

Of course there were days where the old bullies would come around, thinking that Tsuna was easy pickings or without having said brother around, Natsume wouldn't stand up for herself. It had happened earlier in the day and though Natsume chattered (ranted) on with her brother about it, there was still a note from Katsui-sensei that she had to show her mother and get signed.

Luckily no one was suspended, the main three (Anaya, Izuna, and Miroko) were only looking to throw around words and would have been delighted to bring down the Sawada girl who had been getting to cocky for their tastes.

Natsume more often than not wondered _why_ these kids sought them out ( _a part of her seemed to whisper to her, trying to explain the situation, but it was hard to acknowledge it because it was all blurry and it made her head hurt and heart feel empty_ ), never really lingering on it and moving on instead.

Getting home the twins greeted their mother, who called back as they shucked off their shoes and padded towards the kitchen table where they set their bags and pulled out their work and tried to get a head start on it so they could do absolutely nothing for the rest of the weekend.

Why they gave homework in the last two weeks of school, neither twin had any clue, but they were glad it was ending and then they had a whole _month_ to do nothing but lie around, cook with Mama, play video games and sleep.

/ | \

The idea of starting middle school didn't hit them until the last week of break – or more like Tsuna realized it and promptly freaked out. He had just gotten used to elementary school and the teachers, the homework wasn't that bad and the other kids weren't as bad as they used too.

He had barged into Natsume's room all but tucking himself into her side as he moaned and whined about starting a new school with new people. He gave his worries that the bullying would start again, would probably get worse because there were gonna be kids at least three year's older than them who wouldn't hesitate on picking on a couple of first year's.

Tsuna didn't know if the smack to the head was an accident or on purpose, another whine left him as he raised his head, a pleading look in his brown eyes as he looked into glaring hazel.

"Go back to sleep and stop worrying," she grumbled at him, trying to get his hands to let go of her sleeping shirt and failing as his grip tightened. A sound eerily reminiscent to the kid from the grudge escaped her as she gave up, staring up at the ceiling with lost hope – leave it to Tsuna to hold on for dear life when the situation didn't call for it.

" _Tsume_ ," he ground out, eyes a little wide, "There's going to be _more_ work and lessons, and _people_."

"I heard you the first time…."

"Why aren't you freaking out?!"

" _Because I was sleeping you turd_."

Tsuna buried his face in her stomach an 'oof' escaping the older sibling and stayed that way for a while, until she realized what Tsuna was doing. Trying to undo his hands had raised her shirt a little, revealing a bit of her tanned tummy and Tsuna's face currently rested there and if he did the _thing_ she was going to scream.

"I swear if you decide –" A squeal left her as Tsuna blew a raspberry against her stomach, " _Tsunayoshi!_ " There was a bout of nervous laughter as said boy peeled off, tripping as he raced out the door and headed downstairs.

"That's what you get for not listening to me!" He called over his shoulder only to shriek as he saw Natsume right behind him, " _HIIEE, Mama!"_

Said woman sat on the couch doing her morning crossword puzzle and doing a great job of ignoring her sons cries until he literally draped himself across her lap and used her as a barrier between her daughter.

"Good morning~" she hummed letting her pen rest inside the book as she closed it and tossed it on the coffee table. She wound her arms around Tsuna, placing a kiss against his temple and pinned Natsume in place with a look when said girl grabbed the boy's ankle and tugged at it. "Tsu-chan, Tsu-kun, you two are joyful today."

Natsume huffed, crossing her arms against her chest as she sat back into the other end of the couch, "Tsuna woke me up too early."

Nana looked at the boy in arms, who had rested his head against her shoulder and managed to catch the pouty glare he gave his sister.

"It's almost eleven."

"You _woke_ me up."

"I wanted to talk to you!"

Once when they were much, much younger Nana would have considered this banter cute, though actually being in the middle of it, she wasn't sure it was as cute as it once was.

"What are the two of you even arguing about?"

"School," Natsume answered in a yawn, rubbing one of her eyes with the back of her hand, "Tsuna's freaking out already."

"Tsu-kun?"

Tsuna pursed his lips, shaking his leg as he thought about how to answer that without worrying his mother – sure she had known about the bullying, between her and their father, she had shown them ways to protect themselves or get away (also the various notes Natsume brought home from school were another give away since they had to be signed).

"Middle school is what will either make us or break us," if they did just a little bit better and kept it up all three years, they could be considered for going to the High School or even University. He had always struggled with his work, having trouble grasping the way the teacher's taught the material and it was through sheer effort on both his part and the help of his mother and sister that he had done as well as he had. "I don't want to fail."

"You two will do fine," his mother responded after a while, giving him a sweet smile as she ruffled his hair. "No matter what happens, you two will pull through."

At the moment Natsume felt guilty, she knew she was a grouch when she was woken up against her will and shouldn't have let slight morning anger cloud the fears her brother had. She moved over to sit right beside her mother and reached for her brother's hands.

"Sorry Tsuna," she said meeting her brother's eyes and offering him a half smile, " _Mama's_ right though, we'll be fine."

He gave them a wobbly smile, feeling comforted and slightly better (and foolish) about his fears.

"Yeah, I mean what could go wrong?"

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there's the first chapter, mostly introductions of how I see the characters and all that, if anyone tries to tell me I'm wrong about Nana I will fight you, so don't poke at it. I've given a bit of each parent and now the rest is for the children. The twins were born in 1992 and there will be references to pop culture that hasn't come out because of what Natsume's past life remembers. If you guys can guess what I'm referencing kudos to you!
> 
> (1) I thought of Yzma from The Emperor's New Groove
> 
> There was also a grudge reference, but that movie hadn't come out yet since its like the late 1990s and that came out during 2002, I think? At least the Japanese one.
> 
> I mentioned before in the last fic that Natsume was kind of weird and I feel like I never really showed that, so her referencing things that are yet to happen or recalling certain things will be one of those. Also memes. This fic will move between stupidly funny humor to angst to seriousness and back to stupid humor, or at least I'll try to do that.
> 
> If you guys have any questions or anything, don't hesitate to ask me (unless you're going to ask about pairings or the next update and I will be honest and say that I don't know *shrug emoji*.
> 
> Until Next Time Guys~
> 
> Sorugao


	2. Chapter 2

 

**Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

The writing might seem kind of weird, so just know that if it's like (this) its just a continuation of a sentence or one of my afterthoughts, if its like ( _this_ ) its the characters own thoughts, " _if its like this"_ its in another language, "if its like _this_ " the word has emphasis.

**Word Count:** 8155

* * *

 

_Part 6: Enter Namimori Middle School!_

They had gotten to school early in the morning feeling as refreshed and ready for it as can be – even if Tsuna dragged his feet and Natsume's hands were a little more sweaty than usual – they would be fine. It would hopefully play out as it had in Elementary school, where they would be in the same class and even if that was just the only point, everything would be fine.

Except it wasn't like that.

While Tsuna had been placed in class 1A, Natsume had been placed in class 1B, the good thing it seemed is that they would have the same sensei's only at different times so the homework and lectures would be the same so that they could help each other out.

Downside was that in the few weeks that it took for the routine to settle people had already started singling Tsuna out for _who knows what reason_ and it made Natsume really wonder if they were cursed, even if nobody attempted to try her in her own class.

It seemed their fellow Elementary school classmates had passed the rumor on that she was a mean girl, who would fight if anybody looked, said or did anything wrong around her person. Which wasn't true, at all, because the only time she did anything like that was when other people started.

The upside was that nobody bothered her, downside was that people didn't really try to talk to her – which was fine, she had more than enough on her plate with Tsuna, her school work, and _something_ else that made her skin crawl and want to curl up and hide from the world.

"Tsuna what is taking you so long?" the door to class 1A slid open and the boy's that had been pelting Tsuna with the chalkboard erasers ' _to get them clean'_ ceased only to give her grins that were too wide to be innocent.

"Hey we're cleaning here, come back later!"

She ignored that one, stepping in and approaching Tsuna who only looked at her dejectedly, his hands wiping away the obvious white dust from his pants, "You know you can do something about it," she murmured to him and received only a shrug.

Even when he knew how, Tsuna refused to fight, like all of his instincts to be safe shut down and he was just left to take anything that came his way.

"It will get worse if I do."

Which wasn't true, yet he always had that going for him as well.

With a loud sigh, Natsume ruffled his hair, "You're lucky I'm your _ane,_ " she said crouching down and picking up one of the erasers and turning to the boys who seemed to freeze at the look she gave them, really no one should give such a cute smile while having such a evil look in their eyes. "You three, _I'm going to beat that ass."_

When Yamamoto returned from retrieving the brooms and dust pans, he could only ask why the others were covered in white powder and where Sawada had gone. When the reaction to the name Sawada was a violet flinch and a soft keening cry from one of them, Yamamoto decided he wasn't that curious and he didn't want to know.

/ | \

It seemed that the first year class – at least both 1A and 1B – learned not to pick on one Sawada Tsunayoshi and not to upset one Sawada Natsume.

When the lunch bell rang, Tsuna stayed in his seat having already been told that Natsume would be eating in his class today, instead of wondering outside and making themselves comfortable in the courtyard.

The desks around him had cleared up and he was surprised when a figure plopped down in the seat in front of him and was even more surprised when it wasn't his sister.

"Yo Sawada!"

_Yamamoto Takeshi, one of the school's upcoming Idols along with Sasagawa Kyoko, considered one of the best first year baseball players that the school has seen in a long time._ The name and information flashed quickly in his mind as he nodded his head, before wondering _why_ the teen had decided to do as he did.

Yamamoto hadn't been part of any of the teasing or bullying that the others had directed at him (didn't seem to actually be aware of it) and Tsuna was oddly curious. A throat clearing had both boys turning their attention to the lone girl who gave the baseball player a quick once over, before sliding her gaze over to her brother.

"Is…?"

"No, he's not."

Giving one last judging stare at Yamamoto, Natsume sat herself across from Tsuna, handing him his box of food that Nana had made for them today.

"Are you two…?"

Tsuna choked on his spit, while Natsume blanched, "That's wrong, so wrong, _completely_ wrong." Yamamoto looked confused, yet just as curious as he had been before.

"Sister," Tsuna offered up, most people already knew that already, but it seemed Yamamoto hadn't, though looking at that grin maybe the other teen had done it on purpose.

"Gotcha," he said, nodding as he got the confirmation he needed. He had finally gotten the story (his curiosity had won through) from his other three classmates about what had happened and though he didn't really believe it, he could kind of see it happening.

"Not to be rude, Yamamoto-san," Tsuna spoke up, picking up a piece of cut up pineapple and popping it in his mouth, "But did you need something?"

"Don't talk when you have food in your mouth, it's gross."

The brunet before him ignored his sister who huffed a little, before digging into her own food and letting him do as he pleased. It would be _Mama_ correcting that bad habit if it continued and the woman was big on not talking when you were chewing food.

The sheepish laugh that escaped Yamamoto as he rubbed the back of his head would have been adorable if Natsume had bothered to put more attention to it.

"I, well, you know how we have that project coming up for the end of semester?" at Tsuna's slow nod the other teen continued, "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind me working with you?" Yamamoto didn't say anything about him not being the best of project partner's because he always ended up doing too much and it never came out good. While he had gotten some offers from his fellow students (mostly the girls) he had gotten a weird vibe from them and simply stated he already had a partner.

"Smooth," was all Natsume said as she picked a piece of mango and sprinkled flecks of _something_ on it before popping it in her mouth. She chewed, savoring the spicy, lemony taste of the fruit before saying "But also lucky."

"Oh, I don't mind!" Tsuna seemed to brighten at that, because he didn't have a partner either and most people didn't want to partner with him because they thought he was terrible (it was only the tests he did badly at, it was just hard to focus and concentrate when he had so little time). "We'll have to partner up to finish it in time."

Natsume rolled her eyes, continuing to eat her lunch in peace as the two talked on, throwing out ideas for possible topics. It was funny how sometimes Tsuna could be someone worth looking up to. Her brother could be charming when he wanted to be and now as he droned on with Yamamoto (someone else other than her and their mother, actually listening) she could see it as he steered away from baseball related topics.

"Natsume have you thought of what you're doing?" she was brought of her thoughts, food raised halfway to her mouth as she was included in the conversation.

"Uh, probably something with Mythology?"

They were free to choose whatever topic they wanted, it was more of getting them used to doing research and being able to present it to the class, which would later help those who continued studying when it came to doing their Masters Project later on in University.

"Really what kind?"

The female that had spoken seemed to realize she had done so aloud when three pairs of eyes turned to her. Her friend beside her shook her head, a tsk'ing sound escaping her as she sat herself down in the seat behind Natsume.

"Kyoko's been wondering what to do," the dark haired girl offered bluntly, either ignoring or oblivious to the blush on said girl's cheeks.

"These two are throwing out ideas, perhaps you can pick one you like," Natsume gestured, in her own way ignoring Tsuna's quiet cry and Yamamoto's own questionable ' _eh'_. She closed up her lunch, happy to be full, yet sad because now she was sleepy and wanted to nap, perhaps she'd be able to catch a quick shut eye in Kim-sensei's English lecture today. "I'll see you later Tsuna."

And because she wasn't rude ( _she remembers having to greet various people whenever she went somewhere with family and it was weird, because that wasn't her family, but it was_ ) she bid the other's goodbye.

She never really thought that lunch period would change anything. Later on when she would think back on it, she would be glad for having those friends (even if sometimes Yamamoto drove her up a wall and Hana liked to question everything and Kyoko was sweet, sweet Kyoko ((who was the best of them all)) with that loud brother of hers).

/ | \

Her short project on _Nekomata_ won her a decent grade with her homeroom sensei and Natsume figured that if she could get away with it, she'd branch off on the other projects doing mythology but focusing more on each creature rather than a whole group.

Tsuna and Yamamoto's project had been centered on the art of sushi. It had been interesting to find out that Yamamoto's own father, Yamamoto Tsuyoshi was a sushi chef and a really good one.

She didn't know what Sasagawa or Kurokawa had ended up doing, but had a feeling that their presentations would have gone on without a hitch.

The first semester of middle school was over and it was time to get into the old time habit of sleeping in, eating, gaming, and beach trips. This summer though, it included Tsuna's new friend Yamamoto (who was actually a really nice kid and didn't treat Tsuna bad at all) who would come over every other week or invite them over to his place, or to the batting cages.

The two always politely declined those invitations, though Tsuna would sometimes go and watch his friend, always surprised at the sudden change in Yamamoto when it came to batting the incoming balls.

Though the summer started off fine, Natsume's feeling of ' _something is wrong'_ was getting stronger, the dreams that had felt so real left her disoriented once she woke up from them and feeling sick, because she could remember death and pain, happiness and love. She could feel warmth thrumming through her, making her feel better even if the feeling of _'wrong'_ was amplified.

It was in the last days of summer vacation, when she was strolling around Namimori Plaza – her mother and brother had gone to the markets, browsing the stalls and wares – and passed by the old Antique shop that had always looked like it was closed and was surprisingly open.

Curious, the teen wondered in gaze flicking over the trinkets ( _odds and ends that sort of thing(_ **1** ), lingering more over the clothes that the shop had because they were pretty and would serve well for a Halloween costume if she decided to dress up this year.

There was the sound of someone clearing their throat and the voice rang out, "Welcome to _Shiro's_ _Antique_ , if there is anything you need do not hesitate to ask." The speaker was an older white haired man, who she would have dubbed as old man had it not been for the youthfulness of his skin. Nodding that she had heard, Natsume continued browsing never really noticing the rather intense stare the man hid behind his glasses.

Kawahira could feel the seal and was honestly amazed at how easily she moved, sure there were slight trip ups but that could be alluded to the way the shop was set up, with its wrinkled up rugs here and there, the overcrowded tables with one to many things.

He wondered who was the person who had thought sealing up a child of all beings would be a smart idea – did they have no clue what that did to a person? Even his own kind only used it sparingly and it was to keep those who had abused their power to the point that they couldn't be forgiven at bay. His fingers twitched from within his sleeve as the girl drew closer, her eye drifting over to the selection of 'healing crystals' that he had.

It was so odd how the humans had come to understand that part of life and how few actively sought out the abilities that lay within the stones.

Kawahira toyed with the idea of offering one and he prodded lightly, "Interested in those?"

Her eyes were a shade of amber that differed greatly from the light honeyed color they had been earlier; well it seemed that the person who had done the sealing did an incomplete job if _that_ was showing through. It must be her instinct kicking in that had her eyes reflecting that color and he wondered if he set off any warnings in the girls mind.

"Not really, but, they are nice."

"Would you like to see one?" he asked, watching as her eyes lingered on a few pieces, when he received a slight nod he opened up the back of the casing. "Tell me what is your birth sign?" from the confused look he got he added on, "They're supposed healing crystals and some do say that it is better to handle a stone related to your birth sign rather than just a random piece."

Which was really a bunch of hogswash, the crystals had a tendency to react to those who preferred _misty_ things, everyone else was pretty much out of luck.

"I'm a Libra, I think?"

Kawahira's plum eyes looked over his collection before his eyes landed on a good piece. The light purple piece was about an inch and a half long, picking it up he influenced a bit to not only calm but to slowly break down the seal that held the girl's true potential back. Handing it over he had to stop a smirk from forming, because as soon as she held the piece he could feel the seal chipping away.

Whoever had done it had done an almost perfect job and it would have taken a rather extraordinary feat – perhaps even death – to break it. To Kawahira it was like child's play, not even when the girl seemed to still almost dropping the stone.

She blinked, brow wrinkling in confusion, "Uhm, how much is this?"

Kawahira was curious more than anything to see what would come of this and so he did the last thing the old him would have thought of doing, he gave an offer.

"Keep it," he said, his usual docile shopkeeper smile quirking his lips, "I'm always here to help those who need it."

Which wasn't the truth, but he was curious and it had been long time since something even remotely interesting came along. She would be coming back; Kawahira was sure of that, there was a change coming, one that he even he could feel and he wondered if anyone was truly ready for it.

/ | \

The doorbell had wrung and having been the closest one by the door, Natsume answered. When she opened the door it was to find no one there and she wondered if maybe she had been imagining the sound.

_mew._

The small cry had her looking down and she was surprised to find a kitten, almost all black except for one of its paws that had a splat of orange. It blinked amber eyes up at her, mouth opening again and emitting another cry.

"You are so precious," she quietly said to it, barely holding back the urge to just pick it up and cradle it to her chest.

"Tsu-chan, who's there?"

"A baby cat!"

"I think this is what your father meant by surprise then," her mother sighed, having walked up beside her, crouching down as well to get a better look at the small animal. Looking over to Natsume, she noted the fascinated look her daughter sported as she wiggled her fingers at the small creature. "Will you take care of it?"

The nodding she received made Nana chuckle, the bun that had sat atop her daughter's head moving back and forth.

"Alright, I'm sure with the allowance you have you can get whatever it needs?" another nod and Nana straightened up, turning away and heading back to the couch where she had been sitting before she heard her daughter squeal in delight. Natsume probably didn't even realize she had done so and Nana would later on tease her about it, "I don't want to be made a grandma yet so make sure you get them taken care of."

"Yes, yes _Mama!"_

The sound of footsteps rushing upstairs had Nana shaking her head and the stampede down (and the cry of 'ahh' as Natsume probably tripped over herself in her excitement), followed by the door closing shut let Nana know that her daughter was out.

The door opening in and her daughter was back, "I'll be back, want anything while I'm out?" Nana looked over her shoulder just to see Natsume poking her head in through the small opening she made in the door.

"I'm fine Tsu-chan, just go."

" _Alright, be back!_ "

_Intermission 1_

_The night before school started I went to bed with a migraine. I curled up beneath my covers, hiding away from the remaining rays of light that shown through my window and I wondered if it had always been like this._

_I didn't remember falling asleep, but the dreams that came felt familiar as if they had happened before. In my dreams I would walk around an unfamiliar place, speaking with people I had never met. I always tried to see what I looked like, I felt like myself, but I_ knew _I wasn't myself._

_The feeling that this had happened before always bothered me and usually that would wake me up before I could find out anything, but this time it continued on._

_I had been walking around the campus, heading towards a specific bathroom where I knew other girls rarely frequented._

_I walk in and surprisingly (and yet not) there were no mirrors._

_As I went about my business, I pull out my phone (even though I know I don't have one) and begin to scroll through it, opening up one of the yellow squares_ ( **2** ). _When the black screen revealed the face that I had, I nearly dropped my phone (I didn't), instead I smiled at the screen and took a picture before I sent it off to someone with a caption of '_ when you can finally pee in peace'.

_As I finished up and walked out of the restroom, my phone rang once more and I answered. I didn't expect the words that fell out my mouth, they felt foreign yet familiar and I understood everyone._

"Jasmine could you pick me up cilantro and a dollar of bread from the store?"

_My name wasn't Jasmine, I was Natsume, but Jasmine sounded just as right too._

"Okay I will, _I love you mami._ "

_I kept walking, seeming as if nothing was wrong and yet everything was, because this didn't feel right. It felt familiar yes, but it wasn't_ my _familiar._

_The dream faded and I hoped it was over._

_It felt weird to feel like myself, yet not myself._

_When I focused on the area around me, it was to find myself in a purple painted room, a desktop tucked in the far corner of it and a laundry basket with fresh clothes waiting to be put away._

_For now I decided to leave the laundry basket, heading towards the computer in the room and clicked open the internet. I didn't even know what I was typing all I knew was that I was reading a manga and it was entertaining._

_The screen was slightly fuzzy to me, I couldn't really make out the characters, but I had an idea of what the story was._

_Who would have thought that Tsunayoshi would have a chance of becoming a Mafia Boss?_

_The thought didn't register at first, not even after the screen went black and I just sat there trying to sit through and come up with something._

"I'll be your home tutor."

_The words the infant said made Natsume's stomach twist._

_When she looked down at her hands – they were shaking, but they were no longer_ hers _– and she felt as if she couldn't breathe. Hadn't this happened before when she was younger? Hadn't she already made the connection that her Sawada Tsunayoshi was_ that _Sawada Tsunayoshi?_

_She had already been through this, she already knew about Jasmine, so why was she freaking out? Or the real question how did she forget about her?_

_Purple filled her vision, her voice, much younger and higher yelling for Tsuna and at the man that tried to take him. She remembered how she wished the worst for him, if only to let go of Tsuna and for them to run away._

_Oh god, she remembered._

_She killed a man._

_She felt sick._

_She –_

An alarm rang loud, jolting her from her sleep. She was breathing heavily and when she brought her hands up to her face, she wasn't at all surprised that her cheeks were wet.

Everything was coming back and she truly wondered _why_ she had ever forgotten?

She felt sick, she kicked off the covers that had tangled around her legs, almost falling over when she made her way out of her room and towards the restroom.

_She felt sick._

_She had killed a man._

_She hadn't meant to._

She barely made it to the toilet as she threw up, eyes tearing up.

_He would have taken Tsuna._

_That was her brother._

_Hers and her mamas and papas._

She would like to think she did the right thing, but taking a life shouldn't have been the answer even if she hadn't meant too.

Natsume was sick.

And she felt tired; things weren't going to go well at all when _that_ person came along.

_Part 7: A Tutor? Are you for real!_

While Tsuna had gone off to school, Natsume had stayed in bed trying to both sort out her feelings and her thoughts ( _and those_ thoughts). She didn't really take well to once again learning about another life and she was of the mind to just ignore everything and anything.

Of course she couldn't, because _her_ voice and memories would appear every time she happened to fall asleep. She felt crazy and unable to breath, but she faced it now rather than later – she recalled family and friends, the scorching Californian heat, friendly banters, broken friendships, the _want_ to be better, but not the will.

She had been part of UC Irvine's psychology and social behavior program and had been rather invested in learning (and often times related certain situations with her family).

Natsume recalled the jokes and some of the 'memes', had realized that she often times quoted movies, books or songs that hadn't been out in her time.

The _Naruto_ she recalled was completely different from the one they had published – it had actually followed its original idea instead of diverging to ninjas (which sadness, Jasmine had really liked that series).

Two days had not been enough to go through everything, but she was just glad to know that one of the manga series Jasmine had picked up had been left unfinished, she really didn't want to know what else happened in _that_ Sawada Tsunayoshi's life.

Wednesday morning found her getting ready and though her head still ached, it wasn't the pounding, vomit inducing pain it had been.

She still glared at anybody who made too much noise because yeah she was a brat who felt bad and usually took that out on people (her period had also started so _yay_ ) her head ached, her brother may or may not be a Mafia Boss, and she would definitely rather be in bed than going through Aoba-sensei's math lecture.

"Sawada! Answer the question!"

She didn't straighten up, instead blinking as she took in the mess of Aoba-sensei's writing. His hand pointed at the problem he wanted her to solve (and fail) so he could then go on and lecture about how they should all be paying attention because this would be on the test.

"(x+6)² is x²+12x+36," she squinted trying to read the instructions and she realized she may need glasses or she needed to be moved further up, she also wondered _how_ she solved that when she had no clue what was going on. The dark haired teacher (whose hair looked slightly green in just the right lighting) nodded in approval.

"Good, but do pay attention. Now there are two ways of getting this answer there is the foil method or the pyramid –"Aoba continued on and Natsume listened, even though she was a little surprised at herself for figuring that out so quickly.

She was similar to Tsuna where she had to take her time to solve things or get through things, focusing was easier for her than her brother and it usually helped her get through her lessons much quicker than her dear brother.

When the lunch bell rang she was about to head out towards the restroom and then find Tsuna. Aoba-sensei of course called her over real quick as he was putting his notes and book for the class away. He handed her a packet of work and a few pages of photocopied notes.

"You've probably looked over Tsunayoshi's work since we just started working on polynomials, so this shouldn't be too hard once you get down to it, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask during class."

"Thank you Sensei, will this be due on Monday or…"

Aoba shook his head, pushing up his lenses as they slid down his nose, "Tuesday for you since you had a note of excuse, it would be better if you could turn it on the due date, but if not I understand." Nastume nodded, thanking her teacher once more before she excused herself.

Having brought along her book bag with her, she unclipped the top and made sure to slip the paperwork inside one of her folders so that the pages wouldn't get all folded up. She did her business quickly and found Tsuna who had Yamamoto sitting beside him trading pieces of food from their bento, while Sasagawa and Kurokawa sat in the empty seats in front of them.

As she slid into the empty seat behind Tsuna, Natsume noted that maybe that odd niggling thought she was feeling ( _as if she already knew, because she did_ ) had something to do with _that_ past life. Brushing it aside and acting as if she barely knew the people that had begun to surround her brother, Natsume ate her lunch in peace even if Tsuna did finish her juice.

The unamused look she cast him and the look of _'I relate to your plight'_ that she caught Kyoko directing at her of course made it up for it.

"Brother's right?"

Kyoko smiled, a cute blush adorning her peachy cheeks at the sudden attention and nodded, "Brother's."

/ | \

On the walk home Tsuna could tell that his sister was expecting something by the way she seemed to be looking over her shoulder (not literally, but she looked around as if waiting for someone to pop up) and the way her lips were pursed in her annoyance.

That or it was the cramps.

Really he was kind of happy he wasn't a girl.

Anyways he was happy to make it home, because that meant Natsume could stop sporting that look she got when she was about to throw down with people when she found out they had been bothering (and sometimes hurting) him.

The late afternoon drifted on, Natsume pouring over his notes from the last two days and then complaining about his 'shitty' writing. He told her not to call it 'shitty' and also to not curse, but she simply shrugged it off.

They had more math work than anything else and _Mama_ would have helped them with that but she was currently out and wouldn't be home for a while. So that left them with dealing with the short worksheets (Tsuna absolutely loved the fill in the blanks because all he had to do was crack open a book and the answer was there and he only had to write a word or two) history was the easiest, honestly Tsuna found it enjoyable, even if the way Hishida-sensei taught was completely boring.

Science was okay as well since they really didn't get outside work, usually short little in class labs that they would do (but Nezu-sensei was terrible, so they never really did much).

English was part of his better classes (and that was only because Nana had taught them from a young age, even if sometimes she slipped and began to talk in Hawaiian Pidgin and wasn't that mind numbing trying to decipher what she meant) and Kim-sensei was nice and took her time explaining the introductions to the ridiculous language.

He was currently flipping a page from his history textbook as Natsume plowed through the math notes and yesterday's homework when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Tsuna volunteered pushing himself off the table and heading towards the door. When he opened it he had been expecting Nana there with a bag or two of groceries, instead there was nothing there and he wondered if they were being pranked.

He closed the door, shrugging off the feeling that he was being watched, "There was no one there – _HIIEE!"_ His shriek caught Natsume's attention who looked up, a bit confused at what her brother could be freaking out about; did a bug get on him again? " _How did you get in here!?"_

"Ciaossu!"

Natsume blanched, her usually warm brown skin looking gray as she recalled the voice from distant memories.

" _What are you doing here?"_ Tsuna had an interesting expression on his face, one that was a cross between _'what the fuck',_ worry, and completely lost. "Where are you parents!"

"I'm here to tutor you," the voice responded, ignoring the second question. There was the sound of tiny footsteps padding across the floor and once she stood up and looked over the edge of the table she could see a suit clad baby staring up at her.

"I think _Mam_ said something about meeting a tutor today," Natsume spoke slowly, trying to get back to actually thinking instead of what her muddled (and slightly broken mind) was freaking out over. _(It was real, talking babies and curses and mafia, omgomgomgomg_.)

"But you're a baby!"

It seemed the small figure did not like that being pointed out, his movement was quick and Tsuna was nursing the back of his head.

" _Oi,_ you can't come in here and do that, _y'know_!" she also didn't really like people who hurt her brother, so already this little guy was on her shit list, even if he could probably kick her ass six ways to Sunday.

"Hm, he'll need to get used to that, especially if he's going to be a Mafia Boss."

Tsuna gaped down at the kid, Natsume was probably doing the same thing and the infant seemed to be relishing the moment (he was always proud of stumping people and messing with their heads).

"I'm Reborn," the kid was cheeky, that blaze smile he had seeming to mock them, "And I'll be your home tutor."

' _From Hell,'_ was left unsaid, but somehow they heard it.

Tsuna in the back of his head noted that this was probably what his sister had been looking out for earlier, intentional or not she had a good sense of when something was coming, though it usually happened within that moment instead of hours later.

This…..this wasn't happening.

"I think I'm going to go out for some fresh air."

_Alone_ , but he had a feeling that the kid before him was going to follow and his sister (judging by the look in her eye she wasn't happy with said kid) was going to tag along.

Great, just great.

And today had been going so well.

/ | \

"I just want to clear my head and get some fresh air, because there is seriously no way _you_ can be a home tutor."

"Totz, plus we're doing fine, we don't need tutoring," Natsume added sitting herself beside her brother. They had ended up at the small park near their home, which was a nice quiet place to come jog through or workout. Right now it was being used as an odd sort of interview place, with them finding more excuses to reject the named Reborn than to actually take him on.

"Yeah, we're doing alright in school and stuff."

It was creepy how the toddler didn't really blink; he only looked up at them dark eyes taking both in before he sighed.

"I'm here whether you want it or not," Reborn sounded as if he wasn't going to budge on the issue, because though he knew the two were average in classes (minus physical education for Tsuna), that wasn't what he was really here for. "I'm here to train you up for something more and I won't leave until I do my duty."

It was the girl who spoke again, hazel eyes bearing down at him with slight disdain, "What else could there be then?" She asked, but he could see it in her eyes she already had an idea, a clue and she seemed to fear his answer.

The Vongola Intuition seemed to strong if she could sense that through the seal that had been placed on her, the boy seemed to pick up on it, his brow scrunching up in concern.

"What do you know about the Mafia?" Reborn asked, watching confusion cloud both of the kid's features. When they didn't answer and their confusion changed to slight understanding, Reborn nodded, "I'm here to shape one of you into the next Vongola Boss."

There was a widening in Tsuna's eyes as he shot up, arms crossing in an 'x' against his chest, " _No way!_ " Natsume seemed shocked, blinking slowly at his revelation. "You can't expect us to believe that!"

"Well believe it," his companion Leon settled into his hand, transforming into a gun that he levelled up at Tsuna who froze. He saw the corner of Natsume's mouth twitch at his words or was it at the chameleon turned gun; Reborn couldn't really get a read of her thoughts to know for sure.

"And you're going to learn whether you want to or not, because it's expected of both you and me," there was a clicking sound and Tsuna slowly sat back down, tears of frustration slowly welling up in his eyes. Reborn would have honestly felt for him – the kid was civilian, completely sealed off, and an average mess – he would have been someone he never interacted with.

But Vongola didn't have much of a choice.

All three of Nono's heir's dead, one unable to take the seat and it fell to the civie who had no clue to take on the role of Boss. It was saddening, slightly disturbing, but needed.

It was a completely last resort and thus Reborn had been called in to make the last resort the _best_ resort.

"It's time for your first lesson," Reborn spoke up after a couple seconds, "Say hello to death for me, it's time for you to be reborn."

The shot rang out and the kid sagged, head falling back as blood trickled from the wound on his forehead. Natsume beside him had gone _green_ and completely still, her eyes were wide and unseeing and she looked on the verge of tears as shaky hands reached out for the still form of her brother.

She felt sick and she was panicking, she was terrified because that gunshot sounded so familiar and yet unfamiliar. She could feel herself shiver almost violently, hands pulling away as warmth and a completely soothing feeling washed over her which made her shiver once more, goosebumps appearing on her flesh.

Something burst forth from Tsuna, shouting with a vengeance, _"Get the kid out of my house with my dying will!"_

The literal flaming visage of her brother proceeded to try to grab Reborn, who dodged the hands and used his surroundings to his advantage to stay out of reach from Tsuna.

The tiny hitman was almost impressed by the strength of the flames that came off of Tsuna and though he was surprised that kid's last regret was not getting him out of their home fast enough, it was a good way to test and gauge the kids performance.

His movements weren't fluid, though there were certain movements that were graceful (when he evaded Reborn's kick and a baton to his side) but other than that it was rigid. By the time the five minutes passed Tsuna fell to his knees, panting heavily from the sudden exertion.

" _What the fuck was that_?" it was the girl who asked, her fingers clenched tightly around the clothes Tsuna had been wearing as she ran up to them. A soft sound emitted from the boy and the girl was between giving him disbelieving looks and caring for Tsuna.

Tsuna won out as the higher priority and she shoved his shirt back on before anyone came up on them and thought him a perv for being in his underwear. Reborn watched, taking in the glittering amber in the girl's eyes and wondering if Iemitsu had informed him correctly.

He had said his daughter was a Mist, like his grandmother, _so why was she emitting a small amount of Sky flames?_

It would make sense from reports; usually those who had been sealed (from what old reports used to say) wouldn't be the most functional person. They tended to become clumsy, airheaded people without much of a want to do much in life, often drifting by and just being, instead of actively pursuing a goal or a dream.

Tsuna had exhibited that to a T, frankly he should have been dead last and worse off than he currently was, but he was _almost_ a well-functioning person. Reborn would give both Sawada Nana and Sawada Natsume a medal if he was to really come to care – they had gone above and beyond and had pulled a sealed person ( _a sealed Sky of all people_ ) out of a rut they would have happily sunk into.

Blinking Reborn noted that Tsuna was dressed once more and had been tugged behind his sister who looked at him with _those_ eyes. Weak as her flames appeared to be, it made him want to straighten up, to apologize – half-lidded and judging, mouth pursed and brows furrowed (she was disappointed) – but he wouldn't, he did not abide to any Sky.

Tsuna felt as if he could think a little clearer, he didn't feel as jittery (though that may be because he was holding onto his sister and she calmed him) and it had to do with what the baby did.

"Ma-maybe we should let him explain," he hesitated at first and even though he was terrified at what had just happened ( _he had been shot and he had died, but he wasn't dead he was still here and he felt better_ ). "At home though, we should go back home."

He put his hands on his sister's shoulders, could feel the tension and the shaking.

"Do you really want to Tsuna?" she asked, not taking her eyes of the baby and he couldn't see, didn't want to see that look on her face. He could finally _feel_ his sister, her discomfort, her shock, her anger, and her need to punt the little kid across them.

"Yes."

His sister stilled once more, he could literally feel it before she turned away, a wheezing breath escaping her as she tugged him along.

"Oi _kid_ you should come or I'll lock you out of the house."

She'll probably do it either way, her mind was a mess - that story had some truth and that gunshot kept ringing in her ear making her picture Jasmine's death and Tsuna's.

She could kiss a peaceful life goodbye.

/ | \

_Mama_ wasn't home yet, which wasn't odd – sometimes she volunteered as an assistant at the Elementary school or she spent time with Matsumoto-baasan at the Namimori Diner. Before they headed upstairs, Tsuna and her made sure to take out some chicken from the freezer and peeled some potatoes that they chopped up and left soaking in a bowl of water (they took their time, not exactly eager to have conversation with the weird baby, but time was up).

Trudging upstairs and into Tsuna's room, Natsume made herself comfortable on her brother's bed, while Tsuna sat on the floor leaning up against his bed, Reborn stood before them watching them. He waited for them to get settled.

"What you experienced Tsunayoshi was _Dying Will Mode_ ," Reborn began, hands behind his back and getting into lecture mode. "It is where the body surpasses any physical limitations and goes beyond what a normal human could do."

He watched Tsuna fiddle with the bullet he had sneezed and gestured to it, "That is one of the ways to force out your flames and push you into _Dying Will Mode_."

"What, what if it hadn't worked?"

Reborn stopped himself from smirking, "I am the World's Greatest Hitman, Tsunayoshi, what do you think would have happened?"

The tanned skin seemed white at the moment, "The way I enforce that mode on you is by hitting you with a bullet, if at the time that I shoot you, you have any regrets you will come back – stronger, faster – with a _will_ to complete whatever regret you had in mind."

The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable, Tsuna still was gazing down at the bullet and Natsume was looking at him, her brow scrunching up in thought.

"But _why_ does it have to be that way?" the eldest asked as she moved herself to sit right behind Tsuna, her fingers running through his hair.

They certainly had a good relationship; they would need that in the future.

"Both yours and Tsunayoshi's flames were sealed at a young age, the way it was done it would take a great deal of stress to undo it – _death_ is usually the answer to unlocking it."

Which was a lie, but they didn't have any other sure way to go about it, it was why the _Dying Will Bullets_ had been made. Usually those who had been sealed (which was rare) never got it undone, what they were doing with Tsunayoshi (and perhaps Natsume later on in time, unless her Sky began to chisel away at the seal) was more of a gamble and one that had luckily worked.

The girl frowned, not exactly happy to hear that, "Does that mean that seal's undone now?"

Reborn already liked the girl already, even if she probably didn't like him at all in the moment – he would later agree that he had made a bad first impression – she asked the questions for when her brother couldn't (Tsuna was in his own world, he wasn't here, he was too focused on the thought that he had actually _died_ ).

"At the current moment it should be cracked and his flames should start pushing through breaking away at it further," Reborn's head tilted slightly to the side, trying to feel out Tsunayoshi. "It would probably take a couple more bullets to completely be rid of the seal."

And then the real training would begin.

The girl sniffed, nodding in understanding. She tugged at the strands of chocolate brown hair, getting a quiet cry for Tsuna as he looked up at her, " _Ey you listenin' right_? This is about you."

It really wouldn't do to have his student not paying attention when he should and Reborn was about to show his displeasure when he felt the girl's heavy gaze on him. Her eyes were that amber color again, specks of indigo appearing on the outer edges of her eyes.

"If you are to tutor us, _especially_ Tsuna you will not be laying a hand on us. If my _Mama_ can do it without swatting us, so can you."

It wasn't his way, he was more of a _hands on_ instructor, but he had a feeling he shouldn't press his luck against the eldest twin. Even if she couldn't do anything against him now, she seemed like the type that would find a way.

Damn Mists and their grudges.

"We'll see."

As long as they didn't act anything like Iemitsu did – the man could be a real idiot when he wanted too – he would be fine.

"Now about the Mafia….."

Straight to the point wasn't she?

"You'll explain that to both us and _Mama,_ yes?"

"Your mother does not need to know –"

Natsume rolled her eyes making an odd sound at the back of her throat – _there_ was the teenager, not this tiny adult that she was currently being.

" _Puh-lease_ ," she said, tugging once more at Tsuna's hair, who swatted at her hand for doing so, " _Mama know how it go down."_

Reborn didn't frown, didn't blink, but he was curious.

"Really now?"

"You should ask her about Hawai'i and _the cousins_ she ran with, it may not line up with your version of Mafia, but _Mama's_ no stranger to that." It may also be because her mother tended to _miss_ certain understandings, because with the stories she's told it seemed she hadn't realized exactly what her group of friends did.

(She came to it later and Nana could only scratch at her cheek sheepishly, " _Whoops?_ " was all her mother had to say about it.)

The nod she got from Reborn made Natsume feel good, "We'll hold off on the Mafia for now." Shouldn't have been such a relief to hear, the sound of the door opening and Nana calling up to them made Natsume feel a lot better.

Really she needed a hug, there was too much stress going on right now.

"I guess you're staying then?" Tsuna piped up as he pick himself up, "I thought it would be a lot more….difficult." Here he flicked his eyes over to Natsume who stuck his tongue out at him.

" _Whatever Tsunayoshi_ , come on you need to meet _Mama_ and explain why you're here."

When the girl bounded out of the room leaving Tsuna and Reborn behind, they could hear the soft cry of a kitten, a coo of _Emi_ and then the sound of feet going downstairs. The sound of someone tripping wasn't surprising and Tsunayoshi could only rub the back of his head.

"Well she's not happy," Tsuna concluded aloud, something that the hitman didn't need to be told twice. "You really upset her, even though she's not showing it."

"Oh?"

The boy shrugged, "She means well, honestly," he said, wiping his hands against his thighs. "I don't think she likes the idea of not being able to protect me."

"You can protect yourself, can't you?" From what Iemitsu had said before Reborn was sent off, the boy did know a few techniques to be able to do so, but it seemed he never really ever used it, not with the way his sister always stuck up for him.

Once more the brunet shrugged, "I just never really saw the point of doing so, if it's going to happen, it'll happen."

_Ah_ and there it was the reason, not at all odd considering the boy had been sealed for most of his childhood. It also explained why Natsume was a little over protective, because if Tsuna wasn't going to protect himself, then it fell on her.

"We'll fix that soon enough."

And Reborn headed on out, leaving a bewildered Tsuna behind,

" _Oi, what you mean by that?"_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author Note:**
> 
>  
> 
> (1) Skyrim reference, which still isn't out yet in this universe.
> 
> (2) Snapchat~ Jasmine died about 2014ish, around the time it was getting popular
> 
> It continues on I suppose, we meet Reborn and friendships are happening before he even arrives. Honestly I've made good friends because I suddenly stuck my nose in a conversation when something I overheard stood out and I was curious about it, Kyoko bless her soul, I feel has that same curiosity (though she uses it for good). AAAHH, there's not much to explain, except I kind of do plough through the first part kind of fast. Emi is brought back (and will forever stay because cats).
> 
> I kind of 'proofread' this, my mind doesn't want to focus so if anything sticks out or seems weird, just let me know.
> 
> I'm actually surprised a lot of people kudo'd this (to me its alot) and the bookmarks and everything! Thank you Reddiamond29 and McADDBaby for the comments.
> 
> This is also up on ff.net under Sorugao-Bandgeek, just letting you guys know if some of you prefer to read over there. 
> 
> Until next time~
> 
> Sorugao


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

The writing might seem kind of weird, so just know that if it's like (this) its just a continuation of a sentence or one of my afterthoughts, if its like ( _this_ ) its the characters own thoughts, " _if its like this"_ its in another language, "if its like _this_ " the word has emphasis.

**Word Count:** 7965

* * *

_Part 8: Tutoring Isn't Really Hell_

Nana had known there would be a tutor; she had thought they wouldn't be necessary. She of course did understand that sooner or later or children's school work would go up a level and there would come a point where she would not be able to help them.

Reborn-kun had also said that he wasn't _just_ any home tutor and that he would be doing his absolute best to make her children into the brightest pupils ever. It made her wonder where exactly Iemitsu had found Reborn-kun and though she wanted the best for her kids, she would like for them to move at a pace that was comfortable for them.

She had told Reborn that and he had readily agreed, stating that he would not push his students unless he knew they were absolutely ready for it.

Nana wasn't too sure about it, something about Reborn felt off – just like Iemitsu, just like Timoteo-san – but he did seem to want the best for her children and that's all she could really ask for.

"I suppose we'll give it a try."

There was a noise of protest from Natsume, who had actually been hoping her mother would say no. Feeling her mother's gaze on her, Natsume resumed eating, at least happy with the way her mother had cooked her piece of chicken – slightly spicy (actually very spicy), with a slight lemony flavor.

"But if we really have no need of you, Reborn-kun, please don't feel too bad."

Reborn smiled, nodding in understanding, "Of course Sawada-san."

A pleasant silence followed suit, everyone eating their fill – the chicken was well grilled, a lemony flavor accompanying it and topping it with grilled mangos gave it a nice taste. The side potatoes were creamy and cheesy all in one and Reborn idly thought that he could get used to this.

Home cooked meals like this often beat out an expensive night out, even if the food was high end.

When the meal was finished and the dishes were cleaned up and the table properly cleared, the twins resumed their homework from earlier, Reborn observing them. They asked questions when they needed to and either Nana or him would answer, Tsuna being the one to ask certain questions repeatedly.

It showed him a little of how the Sawada's went about their daily life and it was a nice little thing they had going on. He couldn't really see how Iemitsu willingly kept his distance when he could have this – then again, no one who goes into the Mafia like Iemitsu had really gets a chance to enjoy a calm life.

/ | \

Over the course of the next few weeks, Reborn's life was the simplest it had been in a long while. He was still waiting on either a letter or a call, noting that both Iemitsu and the Nono were taking their time in responding. Just because life was easy at the moment didn't mean he was going to slack off on why he was really here, though he made sure the twins did their work and asked the right questions he was also waking them up at the crack of dawn and getting them ready for the day.

He had them running (for their lives, they had no clue that the cute little chameleon could turn into a flamethrower) to build up their stamina before school and then after school he drilled into them proper etiquette, Italian, and gave out hints on how to deal with an unwanted person.

You know, things that would eventually lead up to the Mafia lessons.

Which judging by the letter that had come earlier that day, would not be happening if Nono said so, even if Iemitsu had seemed to agree with it. Deciding to actually be completely honest for once in his life, Reborn had showed the two the correspondence.

"Well he said you couldn't," Natsume pointed out handing the letter over to Tsuna, "Nothing about us telling her."

"You'll be involving her in trouble if you tell her."

The girl rolled her eyes, fingers raking through her long hair as she tugged it up and put it in a hair tie, "Papa's already involved in it, which means we've already been a part of it, we just didn't know."

Tsuna folded the letter, handing it back to Reborn, "You could tell us, we'll find a way to explain to _Mama_."

Reborn tugged at one of his sideburns, before nodding, "So be it, shall we begin then?"

For the next two hours he explained to them about the Mafia, how it had come to be. He told of Vongola Primo and what he had stood for up until the current Vongola Boss Nono. He explained to him the situation, how dire it was and he was surprised at how calmly they took this.

Natsume had begun fiddling with a small purple stone halfway through the lecture and he wondered where she got that from because this was the first time he saw since he joined their home about three weeks ago.

"So Vongola used to be good then?" she asked once he finished talking, she didn't necessarily sound upset, her voice had more of a dreamy quality to it, it was in her eyes which were now more indigo than amber. "And it falls to either me or Tsuna to clean up their mess?"

_(_ She wasn't surprised, this was going to happen. She was just annoyed that it was still happening, grown men and women had decided – or whoever it was left up too – that a civilian child that they had sealed away was now going to be their puppet. Like hell she would let that happen.)

"There's a chance we can really fuck up Vongola," Natsume continued on, ignoring the 'tsk' her brother aimed at her. "Or destroy it."

Reborn shrugged, not really liking her words, nor the promise that lay in them, "I'm here to build you two up, what you do is up to you."

Timoteo's plan to build up the two feeling as if they owed Vongola would fail; Reborn could see it happening unless something changed in the distant future. Judging by how bright her eyes were and the feel of her flames (both the mist and the sky), Natsume was dead serious about destroying anything.

/ | \

School had gone well; Natsume got to know Kurokawa and Sasagawa a little better (they even met Sasagawa's brother who was very….very….extreme?)

It was time to go home and enjoy the short time between here and home, before Reborn got his hands on them and ran them through with his 'tutoring' sessions – Natsume hoped they did another Italian lesson today, though meditation wouldn't be too bad either (running though, she hated running, she had a feeling they were going to be running.)

Yamamoto was with them and was about to say goodbye and head off to baseball practice when a sharp call of _'You'_ got their attention. Neither Natsume nor Tsuna recognized the teen that approached them, a disapproving look on his features especially when he glanced over at Tsuna.

"Mochida-senpai!" Yamamoto greeted, a bit surprised at the tone the second year was using. Sure Mochida was known to have a temper, but he was never outright aggressive to those he had never met and Yamamoto was _sure_ the two Sawada's hadn't met the Kendo Captain.

Something niggled at Natsume and without much thought she had placed Tsuna behind her, while Yamamoto stood on her other side.

"I need to talk to that you," Mochida had heard from the first year Kendo club members about how odd it was that Sasagawa Kyoko and Yamamoto Takeshi had been hanging around Sawada Tsunayoshi – a boy who Mochida had heard was considered _No Good_ behind his back.

Why would a guy that was supposed to be one of the worst get Kyoko's attention, Mochida had no clue, but he had a feeling (he was assuming) that the kid was trying to aim higher for what he probably deserved. And that irked him, he who was captain, had the physical skills and good looks didn't have a chance with Kyoko – so why should this brat?

"Move," Mochida said to the girl and Yamamoto, who only frowned at him while the girl gave him a slight huff.

"Leave him alone," by the way Yamamoto referred to him, he was one of the older students and why, _why_ would a second year have a problem with her brother. There hadn't been a problem for a couple weeks and now this?

"Sawada!"

Tsuna perked up, his eyes widening at the tone. Yamamoto blinked at the sudden change in his friend and his frown sharpened.

"Who do you think you are hanging around people out of your league?"

A sound left Tsuna, which Natsume translated as ' _confused'_ and she was actually confused as well, because who was out of Tsuna's league? It couldn't be just because they had lunch with Kurokawa and Sasagawa – or yeah, maybe that could be it.

Kurokawa was right, boys were stupid monkeys.

"You should learn your place –"

Natsume cleared her throat, cutting him off and getting his attention on her, "I dare you to finish that."

Mochida gave her a dismissing look, "You stay out of this, girl."

The bright smile he got would have been nice if he didn't feel dread pool in his stomach. Mochida ignored it, she might have a scary smile, but she was a girl what could she possibly do?

"Then leave my brother alone."

"I said stay out of –"

There was a prissy little sniff he got (women were so easy to upset) and he was about to push her aside when her hand clamped down around his wrist before he even touched her and twisted it. Yamamoto was about to step in and put himself between the two when he noted the color of Natsume's eyes.

Weren't her eyes hazel?

"One more chance to leave _us_ alone."

Mochida scowled and wrenched his hand away from the girl's, "You should learn your place bitch." The pursed lips and raised brow was read as _'oh really now'_ instead of the weepy, insulted look he was expecting from her.

" _Oyy_ , that hurts my feelings/Don't call my sister that!/Mochida-senpai!" were the three responses he got and really how did these two kids who had to scrape themselves out of the bottom and barely held themselves as average get friendly with the baseball player and Kyoko?

"Senpai the club activities are about to start soon, we should get going," Yamamoto stepped forward in front of Natsume and blocking the twin's out of Mochida's sight. The older teen's lip curled in distaste, _'keh'_ leaving his mouth as he turned around and headed towards the gym.

Yamamoto's shoulder's drooped, turning halfway to give the two a worried look, "Mochida-senpai isn't usually like that, and I don't understand why he would do that."

Natsume already had Tsuna pressed up beside her, her arm around his shoulder's, her cheek leaning against the top of his head as he leaned his head against her shoulder, "We're used to it Yamamoto, you shouldn't worry yourself over it."

That was terrible, did people just come up to them and talk down to them and call them names.

"It's not right –"

"Yamamoto-kun," it was Tsuna who spoke up, raising his head up from where it had been and staring up at the tall teen, "You're going to be late."

"But what if –"

Here Natsume gave him a very toothy smile one that made Yamamoto shiver, because there were promises in that smile that made him feel like he was going to get hurt, "I can handle whatever comes our way, I've done it before."

She was stronger than she looked, especially now with Reborn pushing them to become stronger, faster and better. She may not have Sasagawa's delicate build, nor Kurokawa's height – she had her mother's small build and her father's strength (and flames that pushed her forward and made it possible to deal the hurt she wanted to give out).

Unknown to her, her eyes glowed, Tsuna's lighting up in time with hers, and "Family protects family when it comes down to it."

"We'll see you tomorrow, Yamamoto-kun."

Yamamoto watched them walk away, a feeling that he knew too well rising and settling in his chest. He waved them off, giving them a halfhearted smile, even when his eyes narrowed and he jealously watched them walk away hand in hand.

What would he give to have someone watch out for him like that, he only had people looking at him and _expecting_ things from him, never once getting the help that he seemed to quietly scream for (there was his father, but Yamamoto didn't want to put down his old man, not after what happened with his mother).

He made his way towards the gym, the toe of his shoe scuffing against the ground. He supposed that was what he got when he always said he was 'fine' that it was 'okay'.

/ | \

Reborn had cut the two's walk home short, blinking those big black eyes of his and the twins got the feeling that the small baby knew about what had been about to happen.

"Hey Reborn," Tsuna greeted, not yelping this time around in surprise, though the amber tinge in his eyes did fade away. Reborn eyed the fading color, both in Tsuna's and Natsume's eyes and nodded in greeting.

"Good day at school?" Reborn asked, jumping up and settling himself on Tsuna's shoulder once the two stopped holding each other. They were awfully touchy and weren't at all ashamed in doing so in public, which was refreshing to see in siblings instead of the usual screaming and hurting each other (though the screaming did happen and Tsuna was oddly proficient in putting Natsume in a headlock.)

"School was good," Natsume responded, reaching behind her head and undoing her hair tie and letting her hair fall loose (she could feel a headache starting up because of it). "Though fuck that Mochida guy."

"Stop cursing, where did you even get that from," Tsuna chastised and while Natsume pondered an answer for that, she really didn't think that _the dead girl she remembered being was a potty mouth_ and she was slowly slipping into that old habit.

The rest of the way home descended into bickering, Natsume overusing curse words because it would annoy Tsuna and Reborn wanting to roll his eyes because they were being childish, even if they had a right to be (they were thirteen).

"We'll be going out to the forest today again, so be prepared."

Tsuna gave a slight groan, but he trudged upstairs once they got home, knowing that his sister was in this mess with him.

/ | \

They were sore when they got back home, though the buzz they felt flowing through them dulled it some. Tsuna felt better than he had in _years_ , he also hadn't tripped once since they began their 'jog' back home (Reborn really was harsh, but it was a good kind of harsh).

After cooling down and making sure they stretched well, Natsume let herself fall onto the couch, not really caring when Tsuna fell on top of her. Even if she felt gross, she felt better than she had in a long while – her mind wasn't trying to figure out what was wrong, _her_ memories weren't popping up as often as they were, Reborn wasn't the terror she thought he would be (he seemed to have taken what she asked of him seriously, not once had he hit or done anything against them for no reason, though he did wield Leon like a threat and that often spurred them on when they began to lag).

The Reborn from that story would have bullied and kicked Tsuna around because he felt like it, but this one, he listened to them (he was also _really_ good at explaining math, like sorry Aoba-sensei, but you've been replaced).

The etiquette lessons were a bit of a pain, but they didn't happen often, learning Italian was another way to communicate with their father (and that would have her at four languages), and learning about how the Mafia is and how they work was kind of interesting.

Tsuna often wrinkled his nose in distaste when Reborn would bring up the Mafia Wars or what each Don (and the lone Donna) of Vongola had done to further along the family. Her brother saw it just as well as she did how the Vongola had fallen and it was saddening because Giotto had tried his best to _not_ make Vongola that.

It was all really Ricardo's fault.

There was no point in blaming dead men, the only ones who could turn Vongola around where those who were currently a part of it and they were already steeped and too used to the bloodshed.

"A revolution – not like the French though," Tsuna had murmured to her when Reborn had finally gone to bed, though unbeknownst to the two of them, he was listening.

"Really Tsuna?"

_mew._

The tiny kitten called up, stretching up and letting its claws sink into Tsuna's bed spread, while Natsume happily cooed at it, Tsuna gave it a slight glare.

"Oh Emi, my precious baby~" it was so weird to hear his sister baby talk the small cat, especially when she cradled it in her arms as if it actually was an infant. She messed with the cats front orange paw, absolutely enjoying the way the kitten would play with her finger.

"Bed Tsume, go."

She hummed and bid him goodnight, shutting the door with a quiet click behind her.

They were amusing, Reborn thought, as he let his body relax just enough so he could sleep and if they kept up with it, certainly capable of doing what they put their minds too.

He wondered if they would be able to handle the incoming storm.

_Part 9: He's Loud, He's Proud, He's kind of Obsessed_

She had come to realize that the stone she had tended to carry around had helped her in more ways than one. She could sense a familiar warmth in the stone that reached out and soothed her ( _along with something else_ ).

Reborn had been training her and her brother how to get in tune with their flames, having them meditate out in the forest (where it was nice and quiet, the sounds of nature soothing even though some of the bugs weren't). This stone, it called to a part of her that _had_ been locked away ( _like Tsuna_ ) and if she considered it also had a hand in taking down her own seal, which at the moment was being held together by a few threads (Reborn's observations, not hers, though he probably thinks her other flame has something to do with it).

She needs to return to that shop, needs to ask questions, _how_ and _why._

She knew sooner or later she would not be able to keep up with Tsuna's training; he was a pure Sky unlike her. She was a Mist first, then a Sky.

Maybe…..that man…..he had said his name was Kawahira right? Maybe he could help her; he had given her this small gift.

She breathed out, setting the stone on her nightstand and went to bed.

She couldn't stay up and overthink things tonight; she could do that tomorrow after Hishida-sensei's exam.

/ | \

Walking into class 1A, she found Yamamoto who gave her a grin.

"Hey," Yamamoto greeted as she took up Tsuna's usual seat, "Tsuna went out a while ago during class," here he seemed to frown, "I'm surprised he's not back yet."

She was about to ask something when the sound of explosions going off sent warning bells inside her head.

"Oh no," she was about to get out of her seat, only for Yamamoto to be in the way of her doing that.

"Hey, breathe, you're looking a little pale," a strangled sound escaped her mouth, because _funny_ (she was nowhere near pale) but she did breathe out slowly. Her shoulders had risen with her nerves and she relaxed them.

( _bomber, silver hair, angry, so much rage, hurt, hurt, doesn't belong, doesn't have anything, doesn't care about his life_.)

She felt sick, she should have remembered, but she had forgotten, it was hard to keep track when she was busy living life and actually enjoying it for once instead of worrying and looking over her shoulder ( _she was paranoid, the sealed state had made her worse because she didn't understand why. She was so violent and brash, so ready to fight on behalf of her brother, but that was over, it was settling.)_

"We should look for Tsuna," she was calmer and she wondered what that was about when a minute ago she had wanted to freak out. She stood up, Yamamoto stepping back to let her do so as she followed the sound explosions (how could people just ignore that?)

"I'll go with you!"

"Onwards we go, my fair knight," she said a bit airily not noticing the slight pink dusting Yamamoto's cheeks as she did. She hadn't realized she was getting comfortable around them and was slipping and talking like she usually did with Tsuna when they were home (safe and sound and able to be their silly selves).

People seemed to be avoiding the corridor they walked down and even Yamamoto had mentioned to her that they should head back, she looked at him with one brow raised, "You can go." And she pushed onwards until they were near the courtyard where there was yelling and curses being thrown around.

There was a roar, one that sounded like Tsuna when he entered _Dying Will Mode_ and peered through the courtyard's entrance and caught sight of a bright head of hair and "That's fucking dynamite!" her tone was disbelieving and did Yamamoto seriously poke her side right now for cursing?

She lightly slapped his hand away and walked on, seeing a familiar fedora wearing baby who was staring at the ensuing fight. She sat herself right beside him, Yamamoto standing right beside her as he looked on a little blown away because the kid that was fighting was the one who people used to call No Good Tsuna (he heard the rumors).

"You're supervising, I assume?"

The baby didn't acknowledge her, though maybe he did in way of Leon flicking his tongue at her.

"Look, Natsume."

She didn't want to, but she did, not at all surprised when she saw Tsuna dancing around and extinguishing the ridiculous amount of explosives that had been thrown. By the end of it the silver haired teen had fallen to his knees though she couldn't make out his expression from far away (she needed glasses, they weren't that far damnit).

"You are worthy of being called Vongola Decimo!"

Natsume brought her knees up, letting her forehead rest against them. They weren't _there_ yet, they acknowledged the training and lessons and everything Reborn threw at them, but they still hadn't really accepted the 'Mafia Boss' title that would come at the end

They still hadn't told Nana.

"He's all yours Natsume," Reborn said before he disappeared off to who knows where. She raised her head a little, letting it tilt back just a little bit, an exasperated sound leaving her. She got up, dusting off her the back of her skirt.

"It seems we have a new person to our group," she commented to Yamamoto who looked over at the transfer student curiously.

"You think so?"

The closer they got they could hear the silver haired teen blubbering, down on his knees and bowing before a half dressed Tsuna. When the teen raised his head, he cast a glare at the two of them, one that Natsume returned.

"I have your shoes Tsuna," she had picked them up on their way here and handed them over, "Who's your friend?"

Tsuna tilted his head to the side, ignoring the teen's slight growl, "Eh? This is Gokudera Hayato," he finished buttoning his shirt and Tsuna waved over a hand at Natsume, "Gokudera-san, this is my sister Sawada Natsume and my friend Yamamoto Takeshi."

She honestly didn't know what it was sometimes, but she enjoyed the slack jawed expression as she wiggled her fingers at him and gave him a toothy smile.

"So mind explaining what all that was, hm?"

Poor, poor Gokudera, if he knew any better he wouldn't say anything incriminating. By the way Decimo shook his head, holding his arms up in an 'x' position, Gokudera kept his tongue. Natsume cast an annoyed looked at Tsuna who only gave her an impish grin.

"At least not here, we don't want trouble."

"Point, we should leave before the committee decides to show up and 'enforce the peace'," Natsume sighed out, using air quotes.

"Will they really?" asked Gokudera finally standing up and dusting himself off, there was a hard look in his eye and the trio before him didn't know what to make of it.

"Yeah, sometimes over the pettiest things, _y'know_ they say they're here to keep the rules and peace, but some of them only do it if they feel like it," she explained (it was one of the first things she noticed when she got here and seriously so many things could have been avoided if the committee actually did what they were supposed too). "It's what you get for getting a bunch of a delinquents together and hoping they establish order, some will try others, well, they prefer to take advantage of the students."

Yamamoto looked surprised by this, "Really? I never noticed that."

Natsume scoffed, "That's because you're the Golden Boy, Yamamoto, you're up there, came in with doing something actually good. Us," she gestured between her and Tsuna, "Most people don't have anything good to say, so we're easy pickings."

"Natsume, I think you should keep your voice down," Tsuna said to her, noticing a few committee members beginning to show up.

"Tch, whatever, s'not like I really care," she was sure they heard that, but it's like she said, she didn't care.

_Intermission 2_

_The Disciplinary Committee (or the Group of Delinquents as Natsume often called them) was supposedly there to keep the peace. It was one of the first things that Umino-sensei had told them about on the very first day of school._

_I hadn't heard much about them since then until a couple weeks later when a group of old 'friends' decided to come by and say hi._

_If I acknowledged them I was screwed, if I ignored them I was screwed._

_And I wasn't much for fighting back or saying anything against them, the thought of even doing so made my tongue shrivel up and the feeling of wanting to curl up into a ball got stronger. Izuna had been saying something, but he usually repeated himself so I could probably recite everything he said word for word._

_I was shoved and I stumbled a little._

_The trio surrounded me and continued talking down to me. It made me wonder_ why _they thought what they said would hurt me? I knew who I was; I had a mother who loved me for me and a sister who would do anything for me. Maybe once upon a time I would have wished to be strong and tall like my father – but I didn't want to be the man who hurt his family, who stayed away and only spared a phone call or a letter every month for them._

_I saw one of committee members walking by, though compared to the others I had seen he looked a little more thuggish._

_The Disciplinary Committee was supposed to keep the peace right? They were supposed to help the students and watch out for things like this…..right?_

_So why did he just dismiss us?_

_Couldn't he see that I had no way of defending myself, that what the three before me were breaking the rules?_

_I held back a sigh, my bangs covering my eyes. I brushed them aside and made to get up, but I was pushed back down and it was Miroko who probably made a remark._

"Y'know _I would have thought you three would be a little better, but I guess I was wrong," came Natsume's drawl (which meant she wasn't happy at all). The three before me stilled, Anaya being the only one to look over her shoulder and making a rude gesture towards Natsume. "Wow, I'm so offended."_

" _Come on, Anaya," that was Izuna again, "Before the committee members pass by again."_

" _Che, whatever, see ya Dame-Tsuna."_

_The trio walked away just as Natsume reached out to help me out "Y'know for thinking they're so good, they left pretty quick."_

_I gave my sister a deadpan look, "_ They scared of you," _I told her in English, making her roll her eyes._

"I wonder why?"

" _Let's just go home, yeah?" I reverted back to Japanese, the committee member from earlier passing by once more. Once they were out of the school and on their usual path home, I brought up it up, "Y'know how they said the Disciplinary Committee keeps things 'peaceful'," here I used air quotes._

" _Yeaa?"_

" _Well they suck at it."_

" _Pfft, what did you expect from a group of delinquents?"_

/ | \

It was an interesting time once Gokudera had joined their group.

It was livelier, much, _much_ louder and explosive.

Literally.

How Gokudera brought in so much freaking dynamite, neither Natsume nor Tsuna had any clue how he managed it, but he did and it wasn't rare for at least one or two (or a dozen) to go off in the lunch period. Gokudera's fiery temper (why was everything so literal with this kid?) seemed to clash with Yamamoto's and at times with Kurokawa (and _don't_ even get started on the time Ryohei came through).

And that was just the fourth day of him having begun joining them for lunch.

"If you keep doing that you're going to get the head prefect's attention," one Kurokawa Hana pointed out looking a little fed up with the one sided fight happening before her, really when was the silver haired monkey going to get that he wasn't phasing Yamamoto. As smart as Gokudera was, it seemed as if he was very short sighted.

"Gokudera-san," Tsuna called, trying not to make a face when said boy turned to him looking as if he was the most amazing thing in the world. He wasn't, he was just Sawada Tsunayoshi, who may or may not have a chance of becoming a Mafia Boss to one of the bloodiest families in the entire underworld. "Calm down please."

Gokudera looked about to protest, but he felt _those_ eyes on him. He gave a stilted nod and sat back down, though not before he glared (which was really him squinting his eyes because he didn't really need his glasses or at least that's what he told himself) at Yamamoto. The idiot baseball player merely gave him one of his cheery smiles, making Gokudera's hackles rise.

"Stop baiting him, Yamamoto," it was nice to not have Natsume's full attention anymore; instead it was on the sheepish baseball player, who only rubbed the back of his head. Natsume shook her head, letting her face fall into her hands, "It's only Monday guys, and we've only been doing this for _four_ days."

Really when did her life involve four (five if you counted Ryohei who was sometimes there, but not really) other people that had nothing to do with them. This little clique of theirs seemed drawn to each other, even if Kurokawa did stick her nose up at them sometimes (it was funny and Natsume could relate _so bad)_ because her life had gone from slightly normal to a little absurd.

"Tenth – ack!" she threw one of her grapes at Gokudera, "A-ah Tsuna-san," the teen quickly corrected when the green fruit hit his cheek. He didn't understand her displeasure at addressing his Boss by his title and one day he was going to lose it, but not in front of the Tenth because that _was_ his sister and he couldn't just yell at her in front of him.

He continued on as if he hadn't been interrupted, "Quarter exams are next week, I was wondering if we could study together." Gokudera was kind of proud of himself for not blushing or stuttering while asking.

Tsuna made a face that made Natsume want to squish his cheeks together, "I forgot those were next week."

"Oh, we should do a study group!" Yamamoto piped in, because he kind of really needed the help, his grades weren't the best and if they kept going the route they were going (which was down) he would be benched or worse kicked off the baseball team.

_Which could not happen._

"Oh that sounds like it would be fun!" Kyoko chimed in, her eyes lighting up at the idea of hanging out with the others. They were all so lively and she was kind of glad her curiosity got the best of her that one day, even if Hana only tolerated the boy's because of her (and maybe Natsume).

Gokudera wanted to yell at them, he didn't invite them and they just decided to include themselves. It would have been his chance to show his Boss ( _future_ Boss) what he could do and perhaps begin the path of forgiveness for trying to kill Tsuna (who had already pushed that day to the far, far corner of his mind).

"That sounds like a great idea," a voice unknown to the others, but very familiar to the twin's spoke up. All heads swiveled to look at the new student who stood on top of Kurokawa's desk (said girl felt a shiver and her skin prickle at the sight of the short student). The long haired girl wore a modified version of Nami-chuu's uniform and appeared just a tad shy by the way she seemed to fidget with her hair. "We could all meet at the Sawada's house where their handsome tutor Reborn could help us."

The others ignored the loud smacking sound (Natsume face palming) and the choked sound (Tsuna's juice didn't go down right) that the twin's made at that.

"Oh, he wouldn't mind would he?" Kyoko asked, she hadn't known that the two had a tutor but she had noted that Tsunayoshi-san had been improving in his classes and though he still got called out by some of the sensei's he was able to answer their questions.

"Of course he wouldn't, he's all for helping those in need."

"Sawada-san won't mind?" Yamamoto asked, he had met the twin's mother once and he wondered if she would mind such a large group of them being over her home.

"Don't I get a say in this?" asked Gokudera, it had been his idea, why were they making away with it without letting him have a word in.

" _Mama_ won't mind," Natsume answered after pulling her hands away from her face, completely ignoring Gokudera who had brought this on all of them. The attention was diverted from the new girl, who with a wry smirk made her exit and let the group focus back on each other.

When the others finally deigned to give the new girl a response, she was gone and while the others were only slightly curious, Natsume and Tsuna shared a look and shook their heads.

Their tutor was so weird.

/ | \

The week passed and Sunday came, having spent most of the morning cleaning up the mess in their rooms, when the twin's came down to eat some lunch, they were rather surprised at the amount of food their mother was making.

While Reborn was already sampling some of the food (he was partial to the fruit kabobs), Tsuna joined and began to dig into the freshly cooked plate of gyoza, not really caring that he would probably end finishing it. Natsume picked one off before she headed into the kitchen, munching on it slightly as she watched her mother pull out a couple more ingredients from the fridge.

" _Mama_ what else are you making?"

"Just things for you and your friends to snack on, Tsu-chan," perhaps Nana was going a little over board, but her children were bringing their friends over and for her it was something to celebrate. Nana began cutting up the avocado and green onion, putting both in a bowl and then squeezing a lemon over it.

"I was thinking that perhaps staying downstairs would give you all more room, just move the couches in the living room around."

Natsume made a noise that had Nana raising a brow at her and tried not to giggle when she saw the tip of her tongue sticking out, "Then why did we clean our rooms?"

Nana moved to fully face her daughter, a hand on her hip as she sighed, "So you can actually see the floor, I don't know how you two manage through that mess." She had given up long ago trying to maintain their mess, if they wanted to live like that, let them she wasn't going to give herself gray hair over it.

"We live very well actually," her daughter grinned at her.

A soft laugh escaped Nana as she returned to the cutting board, picking out the ogo seaweed from the water she had left it soaking in and cutting it up as well.

"Is that Tuna Poke?" Nana nodded, already knowing that Natsume had wrinkled her nose in dislike of the dish.

"I've also already made you that shrimp and crab ceviche you like," she had planned for it of course, knowing Natsume wasn't a big fan of eating raw fish. "There's also some macaroni salad in the fridge if you want to get a bit, but that was more for dinner later on."

"Ah-kay _Mama_ ~"

She could hear the refrigerator door being opened and being shut as Natsume took out what was probably the ceviche and took it towards the dining table. She could hear her children talking between themselves, Reborn's voice telling them to just get on with it.

"Why did we clean our rooms then?"

Nana could picture Natsume shrugging, "Honestly I think it's because we brought down a lot of the 'missing' dishes when we cleaned your room."

"….aahh, that makes sense."

The sound of couches being pushed around and Natsume snapping at Tsuna for probably not putting in as much effort (her son could be so lazy sometimes) could be easily heard.

"Will you be around while the kids study, Nana-san?"

"Reborn-kun, I've told you to call me auntie," Nana said first, she finished putting the last bits of the tuna in the bowl and began to mix around the ingredients. "I'll probably be in my room or outside in the garden."

"Tsuna that's mine!"

"I'm hungry, just lemme have a bit!"

"Tsunayoshi, _no – agk!_ "

She wouldn't be surprised if the two were 'play' fighting with each other, though Tsuna did have a tendency to put Natsume in a headlock or found a way to trip his sister and sit on her just to annoy her. Judging by the whine (and the gloating laugh) it was the headlock.

"' _Ey keiki -_!" Nana was about to say more, but her son's voice telling Reborn _'we'll be good, promise! I'll stop see!'_ cut her off. It went in time with the doorbell ringing and as the front door was opened and greetings were exchanged that Nana couldn't help to smile.

It was almost like being back on the Island, with her cousins roughhousing with one another. It felt like she was really home.

_Part 10: We Are Friends_

"Oh please, Sawada-chan, call me Kyoko!" was what made Natsume realize that their little group had become _more_ than just the 'group of people I actually talk to at school'. All it took was actually hanging out somewhere other than school, doing things 'friends' did (studying, eating, laughing with one another) together.

Natsume finished shuffling the stack of flash cards they had made and nodded, "Natsume is fine, Kyoko."

That got everyone else to chip in their part and by the end of it all they were on a first name basis, "Now that we have established the highest of friendships, let's put our collective studying to the test," she flicked through the cards not really remembering which stack she had grabbed, "The history round? Yeah, the history round uh, first question –"

By the end of it Hana and Hayato were butting heads, trying to see who would get the answer first, with Tsuna just a split second behind them though he was tamer about it. Setting the stack of notecards down on the coffee table, Natsume picked up her plate of ceviche and began to eat some, while Hana and Hayato bickered.

"Are you two done flirting yet?" Natsume asked after swallowing a forkful of her food, "We would like to continue on."

" _Are_ they flirting?" asked Takeshi, tilting his head as he thought over it.

Hayato was spurting, looking fairly insulted, while Hana gave them a deadpanned look.

"As if!" the girl retorted, settling back down beside Kyoko who tried to smother the giggle that escaped her. "Kyoko, no, you know better!"

"But Hana-chan –"

"Don't you ' _Hana-chan'_ me –"

Tsuna wisely didn't say anything, avoiding eye contact with Hayato who seemed to be looking for some kind of help. Instead he reached over and grabbed the notecards they had made for science. Biology was fun and all, but Nezu was kind of (very) terrible. They had actually managed through this one with Reborn's help, who corrected most of their notes and gave the appropriate information.

The small hitman also made a note to investigate Nezu (and the other sensei's) because there was something odd about the way the man had taught his students.

"Okay, okay," Natsume placated, "Maybe we should stop and continue this another day, the studying has gotten to us."

They had been at it for a while, through various food breaks they had managed enough to not have to even worry about taking the accumulative exam at the end of the semester (thanks Reborn for shoveling more information than needed).

The sound of agreement that she got was good and they began to pack up and clean up any messes they had made.

"Sawada-san said if you all wanted to stay for dinner you are more than welcome too," Reborn piped up from beside Natsume, who both flinched at the sudden voice and emitted an odd sound. The girl held her face in her hands, head slightly shaking and muttering ' _why must you always do that?_ '

"Kyoko and I can't," Hana answered, feeling slightly bad about it, but then again she was already at her wit's end of putting up with Hayato. The guy wasn't bad; he was actually really smart and picked up on the material quickly for someone who just started.

Hana just needed a break from them all, they were exhausting.

"Maybe next time?" Kyoko added, as she finished putting her things away.

"For sure," Natsume responded finally recollecting herself and pulling her hands away from her face. "What about you two?"

Hayato seemed to be embarrassed, but said he didn't mind staying if it wasn't too much of a hassle and Yamamoto seemed to be on the same boat, though not at all embarrassed.

After the girl's had left, the four of them stewed in a quiet silence, not really knowing what else to do until Nana called them for dinner.

"We can play Mario Party," Tsuna suggested, scratching the side of his cheek.

"The perfect game to test our friendship," Natsume said once the two agreed, though Hayato was a bit gruff about it.

"Eh, what do you mean?" Takeshi asked as they all walked began to make their way to Tsuna's room. Natsume only smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners in her quiet mirth.

"Oh, you'll see."

/ | \

They hadn't even finished the game and by that time, Natsume had already cheated (she began the mini games before anyone realized they had started ( **1** ), Hayato had taken various pillows to the face (because he wouldn't stop screeching), Takeshi was actually trying to be fair, and Tsuna was somehow winning (he was a filthy cheater because this was all he did during breaks).

" _Stop doing that!"_ (Hayato)

"I'll stop when you stop yelling!" (Natsume)

"Come on guys, it's just a game!" (Takeshi)

"I see why Tsume said that." (Tsunayoshi)

This was the sight Reborn came upon when Nana had kindly asked him to call the kids down.

"Baseball is just a game – _see_ you don't like that!" Natsume retorted, slightly enjoying pissing off everyone equally.

" _Baseball_ is one of the best sports –"

"Don't you _dare_ say that it's the best sport in the world," Hayato interrupted, after (gently) placing his controller down. "We all know its soccer."

"What does soccer have to do with anything? If anything volleyball is more –"

"You're literally smacking a ball around –"

" _Boi if you don –"_

"Why can't we all just get along?"

It was nice to see the kids bonding in such a way, even if they all began to argue over sports of all things. Reborn approached Tsuna, startling the brunet when he jabbed his side.

"A good Boss is able to control the situation."

It was also good to see that he didn't have to try finding suitable guardian's for either twin. They were all coming around rather nicely on their own and it showed just how strong the kids would be if they were able to ignore the empty presence of a Sky and befriend them instead of acting out against it.

"Is the food ready?" Tsuna asked, not about to acknowledge what Reborn had said and _why_ he had said it. Reborn confirmed it with a nod and a knowing smile, before he exited the room. "Hey guys!" he called out over the three voices, which had begun to steadily rise. The three snapped towards him and he smiled kindly at them, "Foods ready."

Natsume was the first out of the room, closely followed by Takeshi, Tsuna and Hayato.

"Will it always be like this Tenth?" Hayato asked, accidentally slipping and addressing Tsuna differently.

"It's different from what I'm used to," Tsuna admitted, really when did they ever have friends over? Although it was a bit hectic keeping up with all the different personalities, it was nice. "But it's a good different."

"Oh…."

The two paused on the second to last step, Hayato's brow wrinkled in thought and Tsuna shook his head at him. He gave him a slight push to continue on downward, "Don't think about it too much, we're friends now aren't we?"

Even after the little spat (that had been started mostly on Reborn's behalf, Tsuna knew, somehow _understood_ that Hayato hadn't really wanted to do it) between the two, Hayato had actually been one of the few to actually apologize after trying to hurt him.

Hayato perked up at that and gave Tsuna a smile of his own, scratching the back of his head as he did so, "We are aren't we?"

Friendship was odd for Hayato and if this was what was in store for him if he stuck with Tsuna, he wouldn't change it for the world.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note:
> 
> (1) I'm that person tbh, my friend yelled at me for doing so, I didn't care, because she wouldn't stop winning. (and like Tsuna that's all she does with her life, so its unfair).
> 
> Well, as we can now all see everything has changed dramatically, at least compared to the last story (okay not dramatically, but its different). So far so good on this chapter, I think its the next couple ones that get a little weird so I have to reread them and hope they flow well (which to me it probably does, but I don't know about you guys). There are budding friendships, Natsume being the weird girl she was supposed to be but never really became in the last story.
> 
> Each chapter will have at least Two or Three Parts to them and an intermission, mostly because that gives me a focus for a section and makes it easier to write. So the titles are just that, sometimes they'll make sense, other times its just there because i'm terrible.
> 
> Ahh, thanks for all the kudos, bookmarks and comments! Some questions will be answered in a couple of questions, other than that I'm glad some of you like this :D
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed~
> 
> Sorugao


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

The writing might seem kind of weird, so just know that if it's like (this) its just a continuation of a sentence or one of my afterthoughts, if its like ( _this_ ) its the characters own thoughts, " _if its like this"_ its in another language, "if its like _this_ " the word has emphasis.

**Word Count:** 7470

* * *

_Part 11: This Too Shall Pass_

Yamamoto Takeshi thanked his lucky stars that he had become friends with people like Tsuna and Natsume, Kyoko and Hana, and Hayato. It was because of them and their recent study group that he managed the grades he did and was eligible to actually play in the upcoming game.

When the big day came, Takeshi was pumped, the most excited anyone had ever seen the boy ( _he was going to do fine; he was going to have fun and hopefully along the way win the game_ ). By the end of it, he was kind of glad his friends hadn't been able to make it ( _he could feel the looks the other players gave him, as if blaming him, it wasn't his fault, the other team just played better. What did they expect that just because he was good, he could win against anyone?)_

He sat in the locker room long after it had emptied out, finally letting himself sit down and cradle his face in his hands. The frustrated tears came and fell, like many times before he didn't make a sound, his shoulders barely shaking as he cried silently to himself.

He _tried._

_He always tried._

He tried to be happy. He tried to be a good athlete. He tried to be a good son.

It always seemed like it wasn't enough and he was tired.

Sometimes giving up sounded like a good idea.

And right now, it was what he wanted to do.

Takeshi took in a deep breath, the back of his hand wiping at his eyes. He tilted his head back, closed his eyes and let out the breath slowly. He stayed like that for a while and slowly got up and dressed. He didn't remember if he closed his locker once he left, he just let the brim of his baseball cap shadow his eyes, one hand tightly holding onto the strap of the duffle bag

The sun had already set by the time he made it home and he could feel it in his stomach that he wouldn't be sleeping much tonight.

But that's okay.

He was used to it.

/ | \

Takeshi wasn't at school Monday, nor did he show up Tuesday.

When Wednesday passed, Tsuna began to feel something prickle. It was like an itch that he needed to scratch, but he didn't know where. He decided that if tomorrow Takeshi still didn't show up, he would head over to the his home and check on him.

Thursday came and still no Takeshi.

As he watched his sister slip on her regular shoes, Tsuna sprung the idea on her, "Hey, you don't mind if we stop by Takeshi's house right?"

"I guess? You worried about him?" she asked as she stood up from the bench, readjusting her bag so that it hung at her side.

"A little bit, I just have this weird feeling."

She didn't protest as they went the opposite way, heading towards the market district instead of the residential area. While Takeshi's house wasn't really anywhere near the main plaza or the shopping center, it was on the way seeing as his home doubled as a restaurant.

The pair walked in an almost silence, Natsume humming some tune that Tsuna kind of recognized but couldn't name at the moment. By the time they came to TakeSushi, twenty minutes had passed and Tsuna wondered why the prickling sensation got worse.

They stepped into the restaurant, calling out a greeting to Tsuyoshi-san who was picking up some plates from the tables.

"Tsuyoshi-san, is Takeshi here?"

The older man blinked as he set the dishes in the tub he was carrying around, "I saw him leave this morning; he was dressed in his uniform and everything."

"Uh –"

"Hey pops!"

"-oh."

An awkward silence descended, Tsuna trying not to shuffle about as Tsuyoshi stared down at his only son, whose cheery expression was wiped clean off as he noted the twins. The smile that he tried to give them was more broken looking than anything else, Takeshi's honeyed eyes were unusually piercing as he swept his empty, smiling gaze about the room.

"Hah! Looks like you two beat me here!"

"Totally," Natsume responded, her tone light. It looked as if Tsuyoshi-san was about to say something as he stood his full height with his hands on his hips. "Ah, guess we won, right?"

That didn't seem like the right thing to say because Takeshi looked like if he had been kicked. A sad, very angry looking kicked puppy.

"Yeah, hah, we'll be going upstairs dad."

Tsuyoshi didn't say anything, instead watching as his son showed his two friends upstairs. A world weary sigh left him and he wondered when his son had gotten so good at lying to him. How could he have not noticed how odd his son had been acting when it was in the way he walked and held himself (as if he barely could, like he was just going through the movements to please everyone else.)

* * *

Natsume could feel her brother getting upset – something about the situation wasn't sitting well with her either – though she didn't understand _why_ he was upset. When Takeshi shut the door to his room behind him and turned to look at them, there was this blankness to it that screamed that something was wrong.

"Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?" she asked, she was just trying to figure out what was wrong and why he was like this. She had heard the news that the baseball team had lost their big game on Saturday. "Please don't tell me you're upset over a game."

" _Tsume_." She heard Tsuna sigh her name out, shaking his head at his sister's bluntness.

"It's not just a game!" Takeshi responded in turn with a little bit of heat coloring his words, "We lost because of _me_ , I can see it in everyone's eyes after the game, and it was _my_ fault that we lost at the only thing I'm good at!"

"Your game is a team sport; you don't lose because of one person."

"What do you even know about playing with other people?" Takeshi spat, stepping forward, not caring at all that he was yelling at the people he could possibly call his only friends. Friends that actually talked to him and not at him, "Last I heard you don't even know what having a friend is like!"

Her eyes flashed and he could feel something in him want to respond to that, he stepped closer and he was sure if Tsuna hadn't wrapped his arms around his sister's waist, she would have jumped at him already.

"Yeah, like _you_ totally do, right _Mr. Ace_?" she sneered back, quickly losing her temper and struggling against Tsuna's hold. "You can't even tell that people are using you and you let them walk over you like a _fucking_ doormat –"

"Natsume, Takeshi, please, come on let's not –"

"That's rich coming from some no good person like you, that's all you can do huh? Just say please and hope nothing bad happens right?"

The temperature in the room seemed to drop and Takeshi noted that Natsume's eyes were _purple_. There was a split second to realize what he had said and he felt so much regret, his eyes landed on Tsuna whose bangs shadowed his eyes, not letting Takeshi have a read on him.

He inhaled sharply; breathe stuttering as he doubled over as Natsume's fist sunk into his stomach. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and he realized _this_ was why very few people kept bothering Tsuna.

"You fucking prick, Takeshi!" her voice was even, but he could feel her hands shaking. "What the hell crawled up your ass and died?"

Hurt, anger, sadness, _why was he doing this_? They were his friend weren't they, why was he doing this, why couldn't he deal with this himself instead of lashing it out at them.

"Ugh," Natsume made a noise of disgust as she let him go, turning her back on him and throwing herself onto the bean bag chair he had up against his bed. She was grumbling some words under her breath, but he was too distracted by Tsuna sitting down right in front of him.

"She hits hard," Tsuna noted for him, crossing his legs and letting his elbow rest against his knee, his hand cupping his chin. When Tsuna finally looked at him, Takeshi still couldn't guess what was up with him, but something within him squirmed. "And though she is vulgar about it, she does bring a good point."

"I know you know how people see you Takeshi-kun," the added suffix really got his attention and Takeshi felt worse than he did before. It felt like that one time he had accidentally broken one of the shops windows and had tried to play off that it wasn't his fault when his father had asked him about it, "It hurts you doesn't it? So why do you put up with it?"

Takeshi didn't know how to answer that; he sat up instead, trying to look anywhere but at Tsuna. But he couldn't, because something about the boy before him demanded that he be looked at and listened too.

"I'm here as your friend Takeshi," Tsuna continued on, "And so is Natsume, whatever it is that is bothering or hurting you, you can trust us."

"We understand," Natsume finally piped up, her voice a little gruff, not sparing them a glance, as she lay with her arm over her face. "You're going to either have to fight back or give up, because you can't do this forever."

Takeshi had let people's expectations of him pile up, had let others take advantage of his kindness (of his need to be acknowledged), and it was hitting him now. Some of the gossip flying around from the game seemed to say that ' _maybe if Yamamoto-kun had done this'_ or _'if Yamamoto-kun had done that instead'._ For some reason it came down to blaming one person out of a whole team, because Takeshi was the 'yes man' willing to do anything and go above and beyond because if he didn't people wouldn't like him.

"No matter what happens, we're here Takeshi."

Takeshi's only thought at the moment was one thing, _'Kaa-san, I think I get it…'_

'… _are you proud?'_

_Intermission 3_

_Yamamoto Noa._

_My father's wife, my mother, and the woman I barely recall._

_The most I get when I try to remember her is her always telling me to try my best, to do what was best for me. I remember her smile, the love and warmth I received when she smiled at me._

_She was frail; at least that's what my old man said._

_But she was always willing to help anyone, to listen, and from what my pops said, she made people happy. I wanted to do that, that if the day came that I couldn't remember her, I still wanted to pass on what she did – so I listened, I helped, and I tried to make people happy._

_When she passed away, it was hard to do that – I was only seven and yet I wanted to do what my mother had always done. The days were long without her presence and my father did try to make up for it, but even he could only do so much when he still felt the pain of having lost his loved one._

_I know it worried my father, so I tried to be better, to smile more even though I didn't feel like it. To laugh even though it exhausted me. To help others when all I really wanted to do was walk away._

_Along the way it just became a part of me, to push_ me _aside and do it for others._

_It was nice, the acknowledgement, the looks, the praises – it filled a part of me that I didn't know needed it._

_Along the way it became tiresome, people now expected it of me, no one asked how I was, what I felt._

_Which was why I was so happy when I first met Tsuna, how he looked at me and didn't really expect much out of me – though given by how people had treated him before, that was understandable. Then Natsume came along and she was the same and in the few short months that I have known them, they have rarely asked anything of me._

_In fact, they showed me (little by little) how to push past others._

_When I started to accept Hana (who was blunt and so very forward) and Kyoko (who was compassionate and was willing to listen if I ever asked it of her), I realized this is it._

_I had never felt better and then the game came and it all came bearing down at me._

'Hit that home run Yamamoto'

'Make sure to pitch it like this when it's your turn on the mound'

'Swing just so, do this, do that….why didn't you do this, if you would have done that'

_I didn't realize that everyone still expected so much out of me and it hurt._

_Which is why I will always regret having said what I did, having reacted towards them that way and yet they still put up with me._

_They understood, told me to do what was best for me._

_Like my mother had once upon a time._

/ | \

He went to school the next day, starting off strong and slowly feeling himself become a pile of nerves. When school ended he dithered between just following the twins home or just going to practice, he was kind of happy Hayato wasn't here today, he could already hear the silver haired teen's voice sniping something at him.

"I – ah – I'll see you two later?" he asked as they left the main school building. He clutched his sports bag closer to himself as if it were a lifeline. He kind of hoped they said yes, even after all the way he had treated them yesterday, he would actually completely understand if they said no.

Tsuna was kind though, nodding at him and giving him a smile. Natsume huffed, shrugging her shoulders and deferring more or less to Tsuna's judgement – sometimes her brother knew better than she did and this was probably one of those moments (because she still wanted to punch Takeshi in the face).

"Just come over, _Mama_ won't mind."

They waved goodbye and he watched them go, stalling a little as he willed himself to head towards the gym to get dressed. He watched as the small kid showed up, heard Tsuna shriek before taking off, Natsume not to far behind them.

One day he would ask them what game it was that they played and if he could join in.

For now, he settled for just focusing himself on what he was doing.

And he moved on.

_Part 12: Curiosity Kills_

Friday passed (Takeshi had come over for dinner looking a little more roughed up than usual) and Natsume was glad that Saturday at school had went by so quickly. It was one of those surprise free days Reborn gave them and she took the opportunity to tag along with her mother to the market, where they walked around, bought what was needed and then sat around enjoying a cup of coffee at _Café Lounge._

"Hey, _Mama,_ I'm gonna go over there real quick."

Nana sipped her coffee and waved her daughter away with the other, "Go on then."

Not needing to be told twice, Natsume bounded off, the bell of _Shiro's Antiques_ jingling as she pushed the door open and stepped inside the cozy little shop.

"Welcome back."

Instead of standing behind the counter like last time, the white haired man seemed to be dusting around and shifting around some of the trinkets on the short table near the front of the shop.

"Did you come back for something Miss?"

She looked at him, reaching into her pants pocket and withdrawing the small stone he had given her, "This feels like you." The energy that floated about him was exactly like the one she felt in the stone, the very one that was coaxing something more from her and had finally broke the seal (though that actually happened the other day because of Takeshi).

The corner of his lips twitched up, "So you notice that now, that's very good," he said, he motioned for her to follow him and she did, albeit a little hesitant. "The last time it felt as if you were muffled, something was holding you back, but now you feel more _open,_ more free," he paused, looking over his shoulder and gauging her reactions. "Doesn't it feel nice?"

She stared up at him, wary and yet oddly curious, "Why?"

He walked around the counter, sitting himself on his stool, without much thought a similar stool appeared on her side of the counter, "It is sturdy."

She eyed him, poking at the stool seat before sitting herself down. She tried to get a good read on him, like Reborn had been teaching them – trying to pick and figure out his intentions. All she got was genuine curiosity.

The smile he gave her told her he knew what she was doing.

"You ask me why and I will answer you honestly," Kawahira said, his hands folding against the top of the counter, "I was curious and very much intrigued on how someone your age could be sealed and yet be walking around as if it wasn't effecting them."

"How can you –"

"-tell?" Kawahira finished for her, he didn't even wait for her nod, "The very reason why others would either looked down or disturbed you, something felt off as if it were missing and some would go about trying to fix it in improper ways."

The people of this era never realized exactly what sealing did. Humans though they didn't realize it, were sensitive to one another and when a sealing was done on a human, it felt _empty_ and wrong and they would often go about trying to fix it in all the wrong ways.

"Tell me child, what do you know of flames?"

"….they are a manifestation of our willpower."

Kawahira nodded, "They are a reflection of your soul, it is your very essence, your very being, they do manifest under willpower. If this is a touch personal, there is no need for you to answer, but how did yours first come into being?"

With humans it was always sudden when their flames appeared, usually the power lay dormant until a stressful situation awakened them fully. Judging by the closed off look that crossed the girl's face, it wasn't a good one and she wasn't about to tell him.

"I wanted to protect someone I love."

Well she at least said something, he honestly wasn't expecting an answer and also -

_How sweet_.

"Indulge an old man," he said, giving her a kind smile, "Would you be at all interested in learning how to truly use your flames."

She looked at him, really look at him and tried her best to gauge his true intentions and wasn't that just amusing? "I'm learning now from a home tutor, but," she finally said and Kawahira would have let it go ( _but he would have kept a close eye because she could be useful later on_ ). "It doesn't really help me a lot, his methods I mean." Tsuna on the other hand seemed to flourish under Reborn's flame sessions, while she struggled to take to them.

"A Mist usually never needs the help, all they need is a good mind and a strong will."

She had trouble calling up her flames and trying to shape them as Reborn sometimes asked of her, it was exhausting on the days they would do and often than not _Tsuna_ would end up carrying her halfway home.

"As I said, if you are interested, I would not mind guiding you along."

Natsume looked at the man, could sense his pure intent even though she did feel a weird vibe from it. It wasn't that weird old man vibe; it was more as if something was off about him. Could she really look at this and turn it away, she could use the help.

Setting down the stone between them she held out her hand to him and he took hers.

"I will be a good student, I promise."

/ | \

Tsuna didn't know how to feel about the child that stood out on the main street facing his house. Reborn was one thing, this kid well –

"Lambo-san will finally do it!"

At least he seemed to be his age; instead of being whatever Reborn was ( _demon child_ comes to mind, but that's not right either). Tsuna watched a little stumped as the kid pulled a pink rope _out of his_ _hair_ and tossed the end that held a metal hook over the wall of his house.

He kind of wished Natsume was with him to witness this, but she had went off somewhere as soon as school let out. Hell even Hayato would have been nice to have, at least Hayato would have straight up questioned what the hell was going on, instead of the approach Tsuna was doing (which was nothing).

It was just curious to see the kid that seemed to barely pass his knees wiggle his way up and hop over the wall, a loud cry accompanying his journey once he fell over the other side and into the nicely kept bushes that his mother spent every other day taking care of.

The brunet slowly made his way into the front yard, pushing open the short gate and making it loud and obvious that someone had come in. The kid froze halfway across the lawn before scurrying off towards the tree that was in front of his room.

"You do know I can see you?"

"Impossible! Lambo-san is the best – eep!" the little boy – Lambo – made a high pitched sound, his hands coming up to cover his mouth as he ceased his climbing attempts. The small kid's wide green eyes were on Tsuna and really _how was he supposed to react to this?_ "You never saw Lambo!" and he dug into his hair and pulled out a round pink ball that he threw against the floor and covered the area around them in smoke.

Coughing lightly, Tsuna waved his hand in front of his face to dispel some of the smoke and caught the tail end of Lambo's figure scuttling up the tree. Tsuna's mouth hung open, wondering whether he should make another comment or just forget everything.

He honestly felt that if he tried to forget about the kid he would regret it, so he just put it aside and went inside, greeting both his mother and Reborn. He toed off his shoes and made his way upstairs, intent on getting out of his uniform and noted that Reborn followed him up.

When he opened the door to his room he stepped in, Reborn not too far behind, though before the tutor could say anything a shrieking laugh came through the window and there in all his glory stood the kid on his windowsill.

"I'm going to kill you Reborn!"

" _What_?"

"Prepare yourself!"

Tsuna ducked to the side leaving Reborn open to any assault the kid would throw at him. He settled himself against the front side of his bed, peering over the curve of the board that rose up at the foot of his bed to see what the other kid was doing.

A gun.

He had a gun and was aiming it at Reborn who didn't seem to really care at all that he was being threatened.

"I heard a rumor that Nezu has been fired and arrested due to fraud."

"Ah….yeah….is that why they called him out of class today?" Tsuna's attention was split between the two; he noted how the other child was getting infuriated, finally jumping into his room and throwing himself at Reborn, only for the hitman to step aside. Lambo sailed past him, rolling to a stop in the hallway.

"Reborn!"

Said kid sighed and drew Leon, who transformed into a gun, the muzzle resting against Lambo's forehead, "I thought I told you to leave me alone." Lambo glared at Reborn, tears welling at the corners of his eyes from what Tsuna could see.

"I can't go back until you are dead!"

Leon shape shifted once more and Reborn swatted at the kid, sending him in Tsuna's direction.

"Give up; you'll never be as good as me."

Tsuna caught Lambo before he hit the ground, cradling the sniffling child in his arms. The teen shot Reborn a disapproving frown, who only blinked at him

"Ah, come on don't cry," Tsuna said, trying to sound comforting as he set the kid down and held onto his hands. How many times had Natsume done this for him, when he would start crying after getting hurt? How many times had _Mama_ done it for him as well? That actually gave him an idea, "Hey, hey, you wanna meet someone amazing?"

The kid – Lambo – hiccupped, rubbing at his eyes with one of his hands that he tugged away from Tsuna's hold. "Lambo-san h-has a job to do."

Tsuna pursed his lips, "What job is it?"

"To kill Reborn…."

Really who gave a kid an objective like that? Reborn was a _monster,_ he wasn't the average five year old and Tsuna would bet most if not all of his allowance that Reborn was _much_ more than he appeared. He of course would never ask, because one it was rude and two he kindofsortof respected Reborn (and was also kindofsortof terrified of him.)

"How about you put that on hold then? Let's go meet that amazing person instead."

Lambo tried to deny it, to struggle out of his hold, but Tsuna had a grip and he would never let go (he had played around with Natsume of all people; he had learned how to hang on when she wanted him to let go). He brought the struggling child downstairs, leaving his room with a light tsk'ing sound from Reborn.

"Hey _Mama_."

"Yes Tsu-kun?"

"You wanna meet someone?"

His mother looked up from her where she sat on the couch, a new crossword puzzle book in her lap. She seemed surprised to see him with a kid in his arms, but she smiled up at him nonetheless.

"And where did this handsome young boy come from?"

How was he supposed to say 'oh he was sent here to kill Reborn and by the way I think he may be related to the Mafia just because of that', he couldn't….that was too blunt. At least if his sister were here she would have probably done it, but they were trying to find a way to bring it up without it seeming so bad.

(Honestly it would be so much better of Iemitsu did one of his surprise trips and showed up, so they could bring it up and then dump it on their father to explain it, but their luck wasn't so great.)

"Lambo-san came to k- I mean p-play with Reborn!"

"Oh how cute, I've always told Reborn he should go out and play with others his age," Tsuna didn't know if his mother truly meant that and he was actually kind of curious to know. Maybe he would ask Reborn about it later.

"Is your family picking you up later, Lambo-kun?"

"Nope!"

That made Nana's smile drop, her brows rising and mouth pulling into a line, "My, my that won't do." Tsuna honestly hadn't known that, so he was a little taken back by that. Seriously what was wrong with these people? "Leave him here with me Tsunayoshi; I'm going to make a call."

He handed the kid over, who wrapped his arms around his mother's neck and gave her a big, charming smile. " _Mama_ is so pretty!" which made Nana giggle as she turned and headed toward her room, leaving Tsuna to stand in the living room.

"Lambo of the Bovino, supposedly one of the heirs but he has been disowned due to his inability to show proper etiquette and proved he is incapable of following orders."

"Reborn?"

"The Mafia doesn't care how old you are, if you're brought up in it there are expectations one must meet," Reborn hopped onto the arm of the couch and Tsuna looked down at him. "Soon you'll have to start meeting those expectations too."

"But he's barely a kid…"

Reborn shrugged, "Doesn't matter."

"That's….harsh."

"The world is harsh Tsuna; you just have to learn to rise above it."

/ | \

The weekend passed, they turned fourteen and apparently Reborn turned one (which was ridiculous because he was almost as big as Lambo). October was nearly over when a few more people showed up in their lives (some trying to kill Tsuna, others trying to say what a bad influence he was).

Bianchi was one such person, trying to get rid of both Tsuna and Natsume for taking Reborn away from her – which was absolutely ridiculous, the girl was seventeen and Reborn was a _baby._ The other was the small little assassin from China, I-pin who accidentally mistook her brother for one of her targets.

Then there was the unfortunate incident of meeting one Miura Haru that ended with Natsume getting (accidentally) shouldered in the jaw by the rather exuberant girl (who was so chipper and active in the morning, really there was something wrong there).

Their lessons with Reborn continued on (they could actually run a mile without flagging halfway, _she was actually being considered for the volleyball team next season_ , while Ryohei was trying to drag Tsuna into the boxing club) and they didn't know if they should be lucky or feel cursed.

In as little as four months Reborn had whipped them into shape and they were starting to accept that yeah this well talking baby was actually one hell of a tutor. Nana noticed it as well, noting how Tsuna didn't have as much trouble doing his homework like he used too and was actually starting to grow into his own person.

Recently Natsume had gotten into the habit of disappearing, though Nana didn't worry, she would only be gone for an hour or two and would reappear seeming much more collected. Nana could understand the need to just want to get away from all the noise (her house had gotten so lively recently and it was _wonderful_ ) for a while, as long as it didn't become a daily occurrence.

Rumors of a Yakuza coming over from Fujikawaguchiko had been cropping up recently whenever Nana headed to the markets and though she wasn't too worried (Namimori always had a way of dealing with things like that).

By that time it was December and school was a week away from letting out and everyone seemed to be looking forward to it.

She had been coming back from another lesson with Kawahira and was oddly surprised to find two strange men standing guard just outside the gate of her home. She honestly wasn't going to say anything, already assuming that this was another of Reborn's schemes, when one of them men actually stopped her.

"Sawada's only," the blond man said, blocking the entrance so that she wouldn't go through.

Natsume looked up, giving the blond man a tight smile and a nod, "Cool," she drew the word out, "Lucky me that I'm a Sawada then."

The other man shook his head at his partner's, opening the gate and holding it out for her, "Go on in little lady, don't mind Gerardo."

" _Eh, she's the other one?"_

She gave the named Gerardo a dirty look, she could kind of understand what he was saying, and " _Yes I am_ ," she looked at the one holding the gate open for her and gave him what should pass as a pleasant smile, "Thank you….ah?"

"Leonardo."

"If you'll excuse me, Leonardo and Gerardo," and she went on in, calling to her mother in greeting before she bounded upstairs to her brother's room. She knocked on the door, opening it when she heard Tsuna's grunt and was already talking as she walked in, "Why are there weird men outside?"

She took in the other occupant in the room, "Why is there a grown man in your room, Tsuna?" She got ushered in by her brother and was promptly tugged down beside him as he introduced the blond man.

"This is Dino-san, Natsume, he's Reborn's old student."

"Ah, hello~" she greeted, "So there is a chance we will survive Reborn then."

Dino actually laughed at that, his head falling back as he did so, Reborn on the other hand merely tugged down his fedora and shook his head (children _, he made sure they would survive anything_.)

"It's a pleasure to meet you Natsume," Dino said, leaning back in one of the chairs from downstairs, "I was just telling Tsuna how he didn't seem like Boss type material."

Natsume blinked at that, side eyeing Tsuna when she saw him shake his head out of the corner of her eye, "Please don't do that again, Dino-san, I actually was thinking that you came all the way from Italy to make fun of me."

"What?"

"Natsume will fight you," Reborn piped up from beside her, "Doesn't really care who you are, pick on her family and she'll get you."

Said girl turned to look down at Reborn, looking a little lost and very confused, "I don't do that…"

"You punched Yamamoto because he called your brother no good."

She narrowed her eyes at the small baby, who wasn't looking at her, but ended up shaking her head and sighing, "Do you want me to punch him or something?" She gestured toward Dino, who only shook his head, holding his hands up in defense.

"Hey I didn't come here to fight anyone! I just came to see my fellow kohai, I was just teasing him."

She pressed her lips in a firm line and shook her head, she honestly felt like laughing, this was ridiculous, "You always want us to fight someone, Reborn."

"To test yourselves."

Natsume rolled her eyes, "Hibari is _not_ a person anyone should be fighting." They had walked into that a couple weeks ago when Reborn suggested a meeting place for all of them outside of the Sawada home. Who knew that the little punk would instead be setting them up to fight the President of the Disciplinary Committee.

"Oh he does that to you too?" Dino asked, leaning forward honey colored eyes gleaming. The blond reached into his jacket, looking oddly suspicious, "Does he also do _this!"_ A yelp escaped Tsuna who was expecting a gun _not a turtle being shoved in his face_ , while Natsume tilted her head to the side (she was immune thanks to Emi who liked to pop out at random times and enjoyed laying down on her face while she was trying to sleep).

"That's a turtle, is this like that rubber chicken gag?"

Dino shook his head, placing his pet on the short table in front of them, "Well I got one of you at least."

_mew._

"Emi~" the change in Natsume's tone was obvious and the little black cat that filled her arms was the receptor of such a loving tone.

"She only does that to her, she doesn't love me anymore," Tsuna whined jokingly as he rested his chin against the table top, petting the top of the turtle's head with his pointer finger.

"She's cute that's why."

Reborn sighed, already knowing where this was going.

"I'm cute too."

"Pfft, _boi you ugly, what'chu talkin' bout."_

Dino watched in fascination as the timid kid that had been before him earlier tugged at his sister's hair in playful annoyance. "We're twins Natsume that means you're ugly too."

Natsume heaved an exasperated sigh, letting Emi curl up in the crook of her right elbow as she smacked Tsuna's hand away, "You're going to embarrass yourself in front of your senpai."

"Stop bickering you two, you have company."

Reborn was as always ignored when it came to this so he just settled back, having learned better than to get between the two ( _they teamed up and went to town on him once, he had never seen Sky flames resonate so deeply with another and that part of Namimori's forest would never be the same_ ).

It didn't take long for Natsume to have triumphed over Tsuna (this time around), Dino was trying not to wince and laugh at the kid's misfortune. Originally he was just going to test the kid, but seeing them like this, he knew they had a chance to grow and become more.

He shared a look with Reborn, who only stared back at him.

They were in good hands and as long as they remembered the good times, they would be alright.

_Part 13: We Bare Ourselves_

School was out, Dino was going around Japan visiting places and sending them pictures on the phone he had left behind.

It was a nice night and the twins for once decided to take their mother out to eat – only them, no Lambo, no I-pin, no Bianchi, no one trying to crash on the small outing, just the three of them.

They had gone to Namimori Diner for dinner – Tsuna enjoyed his Salisbury steak that he ordered, Nana rolled her eyes at her youngest as she dug into her own plate of Loco Moco which Matsumoto-baasan made just for her, while her eldest seemed to have skipped out on the idea of dinner and had gotten a plate of chocolate chip pancakes and instead of the usual eggs and sausage, she asked for the spicy chicken strips they had (she probably wanted them as leftovers to have them tomorrow or to eat for much, _much_ later in the night).

Why her eldest loved spicy food, she would never understand – especially when she was sniffling more than halfway when the spiciness got to her.

They were tucked into one of the far corners of the Diner and Nana recalled dates with Iemitsu, when they would sit close by each other, sharing menu's as they tried to decide what they would have. Teasing laughter and often times wondering hands (mostly just on her thighs, or curling around her hip to pull her closer), it made her heart ache for her husband, to share a meal with him, to hear his voice.

" _Mama?_ "

Nana looked up, blinking slowly and looking at her eldest, "hmm?"

" _You look sad."_

Nana smiled; having a feeling it looked more watery than anything else. She sniffled a little, her hand coming up and her thumb wiping away at the tears that wanted to fall.

" _Just thinking about your papa."_

Tsuna scooted closer to her, almost burrowing into her side as he leaned his head against her shoulder. There was a tension that had risen with the mention of their father and she wondered what brought that on, she waited though, knowing that they were just trying to find the right words.

It was Natsume who breathed out, shoulders sagging with an invisible weight, hands curling around the mug of hot chocolate. She felt cold and anxious, her mother deserved to know, but how, was she really about to ruin a good night out with her?

" _Mama you won't be disappointed in us will you?"_

It was Tsuna who spoke, his arms circling around her and hugging her middle, he was slightly shaking and she wondered what could be up.

Had another incident like with those men happened again, her breath hitched and the twins could feel her still, brown eyes widening in worry.

" _No, no, not like that…."_ Natsume assured, scooting closer to Nana and reaching for her hands. Nana noted how clammy her daughter's hands were and she wondered what it could possibly be. " _Mama you know about the Mafia?"_

She had known about _The Company,_ the syndicate that tried to take over Hawai'i but ultimately failed when they all ended turning against one another. From recent talks with Zack and the others, it was slowly starting up again, though more uniformed, and with the intent to better the standing of Hawai'i and its people.

Really her cousins were small time criminals in their own right, but she knew them, she almost understood why they did it.

So why were her children asking her about it?

" _Eh, a little,"_ she sounded breathless, her hold on Tsuna and Natsume tightening. " _Why?_ "

" _I – We – may be involved,"_ Tsuna answered, meeting Natsume's gaze. They felt terrible, so sick, but it had to be done, it was unfair for their mother to be left around in the dark – not when they were meeting well established Mafia Bosses and coming across the shadier nature of the world. " _It's why Reborn came, to make sure we can protect ourselves against them."_

They had discussed it with the tutor and though he hadn't been happy about it, he respected what the twins were trying to do.

"Who?" Nana managed out in Japanese, the odd feeling she got around Reborn and Iemitsu, could that be it? Was that the answer to her unasked questions, why Iemitsu was always gone, why his phone calls and letters were becoming less and less?

" _Papa and Timoteo-jiisan sent him_."

Nana nodded her head, though she didn't realize she had.

"I see."

What could she do now? There was no way of taking her children away, not when they were growing and actually smiling and laughing with others. Reborn was helping in protect her children and though she wouldn't be able to look at him the same, she would eventually be thankful for his hand in tutoring - training her kids.

Iemitsu….she would have to speak with him, face to face and demand _why_ he hadn't been honest with her.

And Timoteo, _his supposed boss_ , well, she didn't care much for him. Not when the last time he was around her children had changed in a way that she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

" _Thank you for your honesty, my loves._ "

The joyful atmosphere had been zapped away, replaced by a heavy, morose one. It wasn't much sadness that Nana felt, but disappointment.

She had wanted the best for her children and yet they were being 'secretly' tutored to withstand a dark world that she had only glimpsed when she was with her cousins. Now her children were being brought down into it, because honestly if there was no fear of them being found out they wouldn't have sent Reborn.

They left, bidding Matsumoto goodbye and headed home, where they all bid each other goodnight. They had gone to their own rooms to let that evening sink in by morning Nana found that her children had made their way into her room.

She lids were heavy; she would admit that she had cried and it would be obvious that she had. She decided that spending the day lounging around, with what she considered her most precious was better than pacing her home and trying to distract herself with whatever menial task was at hand.

For now she would enjoy the peace and when the waves rose and threatened to crash her home, she would try her best to stand tall and strong, just as she had so long ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had made a note of Fujikawaguchiko, were I said the Yakuza was from - I'm talking about the Momokyokai Yakuza that Reborn set Tsuna and the others to fight in the manga. So Fujikawaguchiko from what I had gathered and what I am remembering since I lost my notes, is within the same region I had chosen to set Namimori in, just a different Prefecture - if I read and understood correctly Fujikawaguchiko is where they grow peaches, hence the Momokyokai's name 'Peach Association'.
> 
> If this chapter seems to bounce around a lot, my bad. Yamamoto's 'attempted suicide' scene was obviously replaced and though maybe some people won't agree with his reaction, I am going to be honest, I have responded and reacted similarly to friends/family so that scene is pulling on some feelings for me.
> 
> Natsume's reaction may seem different (can we all agree that she would have beat up anyone else?) and that's probably more because of Tsuna not wanting his friend to be hurt.
> 
> Any questions, concerns, comments please let me know!
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and favorited/followed this story, you guys are great!
> 
> Sorugao


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

**Word Count:** 8058

* * *

_Intermission 4_

_I should have noticed it long before they had told me._

_But I was hopeful, Tsuna – my beautiful, bright baby boy – he wasn't so hard to find anymore, it was slow but I could see him easing himself out of his shell. His eyes were bright and he looked on in interest, it didn't take Natsume poking and prodding and almost forcing a reaction out of him anymore._

_And my little girl, her shoulders didn't look as burdened – without any say so she had taken over watching her brother and protecting him and standing up for him when he couldn't do so for himself._

_I noticed it in the friends that came over and I was so happy, but now knowing what was becoming of them, to see them go down a road I never dared follow – even though it would have been so easy – I feared for them._

_The world in which Iemitsu is bringing them into, I am terrified of it taking and smothering the brightness of my children._

_They who shine so bright, who have been the constant light and joy in my life, who have often helped me overcome the sudden longing in my heart for my family back home, I am scared of losing that to the darkness that lays in wait for them._

_But there is a feeling, I see it in Tsuna's smile and Natsume's reassurances, they will overcome it._

_I just know it._

_I hope they are able to shine through the darkness, instead of letting it take over them._

_Part 14: Coming to Terms_

The days after the revelation from her children, Nana didn't see much of her usual guests. That was until Lambo (who was probably pushed in by Reborn of all people) came up to her. The afro haired child had been a sweetling – not the withdrawn child who was waiting on the worst news – when she had promised him a home after she had placed a call to Iemitsu (and she wasn't at all surprised now to understand why everything had gone through so quickly with the boy's family).

" _Auntie?_ " he had taken to calling her and some part of her would have usually been happy, but she couldn't bring herself to feel it, at least not right now.

"Lambo-kun."

"Is you mad?"

"It's _are_ , Lambo-kun," she corrected, crouching down to the boy's level and ruffling his hair. Her smile wasn't her usual one, it was more meant to placate people (the ones she used to give to the sensei's when she was unimpressed with them) and it made the small child worry. He had come to know Sawada Nana as one who showed her happiness through her smiles and recently, she had been dull, almost broken.

He kind of understood what had happened, _Auntie_ hadn't known about the Mafia like he did and his _ane_ and _nii-san_ had told her the truth.

He thought that if telling her the truth made her sad, maybe they shouldn't have said anything at all.

"You be fine, _Auntie?_ " he stepped closer to her, placing his hands on her knees in his way of trying to comfort her.

A soft chuckle escaped her, one that he would have missed or confused for her just breathing out if he hadn't been trained to notice the smallest things about people. Yeah maybe he wasn't the best hitman, but he was kind of good at reading people, even if it confused him sometimes.

She cupped his cheek, thumb rubbing against the mark on the apple of his cheek, "I will be Lambo-kun." Nana ushered him on to go about his usual business, his footsteps loud once he pulled away from her and headed upstairs to play with Tsuna-nii.

It was quiet and she was almost glad for it, but at the same time didn't appreciate it. She sat herself at the sofa, picking up her usual crossword book and after a while of trying to focus on the jumble of words before her, Nana wrote it off as a lost cause.

What was she to do?

"Sawada-san…." It was Reborn and Nana wondered if she would be able to have a calm conversation. She turned her head left and just a ways beside her sat Reborn with his usual drink in his hand.

"Reborn."

"They've told you," he brought up, not bothering to beat around the subject and the awkward tension that hung around the house. "I assume you have questions."

Nana wanted to scoff, but she instead sighed, "The only questions I have are for my husband, but I do wonder if my children will be safe."

"As long as I'm here."

Nana swallowed, crossing her right leg over her left knee, one arm draped over her stomach, book long forgotten at her side while her right hand came up and she barely kept from biting at her nail, "And when you're not?" Her voice was soft, would have been lost to the peeling laughter from upstairs if Reborn hadn't been who he was.

"They will be able to do it themselves."

She was fidgeting around, her nerves about the situation showing through as she moved around, legs uncrossing and foot thumping against the floor. She wiped her hands down the apron she kept tied at her waist and she blinked rapidly. How could she respond to that ( _she remembered Kailua's little group, how they dealt with those trying to encroach on their territory. She had gotten involved a few times, but they had been there for her, she knew she wasn't strong enough to help her children, but she hoped, she hoped it never came down to them being hurt_.)

"Promise me," she sighed out, finally looking Reborn in the eye, "Promise me that as long as you are under this roof, you will do your best to protect them."

Reborn bowed his head and Nana felt a jolt of fear squirm through her, before it was replaced with relief. Her eyes must have been playing tricks on her, for a second she had thought Reborn's small shadowed resembled that of a grown man.

"As you say, Sawada-san."

She shook her head at his usual address of her, she stood up from her seat hands balled into fists at her side as she fully turned to face him, and "I've told you to call me _Auntie_ , Reborn-kun."

There was a change and Reborn was smiling up at her, she had a feeling he wouldn't be calling her that just yet, but soon he would, she had a feeling he would.

"Tell Bianchi-chan to come around, she wanted to learn some recipes from me."

/ | \

Christmas and New Year's passed by with more cheer than ever – there was a house full of people, enjoying each other's company and pulling crazy stunts (like the silly little 'Family Battle' Reborn had sprung on them for New Year's).

Her home had been the loudest it had ever been and it helped seeing her children so happy and carrying on as if nothing was wrong (even though she knew otherwise). Watching them smile and play around with the others, watching them mingle and speak with Dino and Reborn, it comforted Nana.

With the festivities dying down, Takeshi and Hayato were settling in Tsuna's room while he decided which of the leftover platters he should take up. Nana out of whim wrapped him up in her arms and placed a kiss against his temple.

"Eh _Mama?_ "

She smiled at him, kissing him once more before pulling away, "I love you Tsunayoshi," she murmured to him, delighting in the way he blushed. She giggled, ruffling his hair, "No matter what happens, I'm here for you."

A high pitched laugh from upstairs broke the moment and Nana stifled a chuckle as she heard her daughter's laughter.

"Oh my, I wonder what brought that on."

Tsuna shrugged, finally deciding on a platter of left over sandwiches and taking up a bag of his sister's favorite chips, "I think we're having a competition."

Nana nodded, "Make sure your sister doesn't get carried away."

" _I will smite you Hayato!"_

"Ah, Imma go," and the brunet scattered upstairs when the laughter cut off. He honestly hadn't thought the girls would want to join in on the game and when he came upstairs he found Kyoko cheering for Natsume and Takeshi egging on Hayato, while Haru merely sat back and looked a little put out – judging by the driver going out of control the screen, Tsuna could kind of guess why.

"I brought food?" Tsuna said, sitting himself beside Haru and placing the stuff he had brought on the small table. " _Y'know_ if anyone cares."

"Aw, Haru cares Tsuna-kun~" the girl said leaning into him and blinking cutely up at him while he leaned away and was happy when the girl didn't try to push it further (when did this become his life?). He could hear his sister humming a tune under her breath and when he looked on the screen and saw she had acquired a lightning bolt he could only shake his head.

"Are you really humming Bohemian Rhapsody?"

"Yeeeup."

"How did you even get that? You're in second place!" screeched Hayato as his character shrunk down and was passed up by both Natsume's and Haru's. His sister's response was shrugging her shoulders, while grumbling an ' _idontknow'._

Buzzing his lips, Tsuna rifled through a box of new games that he had received (curtesy of Dino who wanted to literally drown his 'little brother' in gifts').

"Hey after this, why don't we play this?"

"Tsuna you want a hole in your wall don't you?" Natsume asked, brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to avoid the mud pits and the random cows that popped up on the track. She had flicked her gaze over and saw him holding up the _Wii Sports_ game.

"It'll be something different though," Tsuna pouted, as much as he loved playing any Mario game (it was one of the first games he had gotten when his mother had gifted both him and his sister the Nintendo 64) it would be nice to do a different big group game.

"I'm not fixing the holes, _just saying!_ " she crossed the finish line and held up both her hands next to her face, pulling out the peace signs and sticking her tongue at Hayato. "I told you I'd kick your ass!"

" _Hah!_ Luck!" sniffed Hayato as he ended up in second after hitting Haru with one of his turtle shells, the quiet cry that came from the girl would have made Tsuna relate, but he had warned her that the others were relentless when it came to Mario Kart or Mario Party.

Natsume whistled what seemed to be a 'whatever' and gestured for Tsuna to change the console and game, helping herself to the bag of chips and a sandwich (sticking said chips in her sandwich).

"Hey this game has baseball on it too!"

Natsume turned to Kyoko, who had gotten some chips from her bag and shook her head, "How badly do you think this is going to get?"

The auburn haired girl put on a mock-thoughtful look on her face, before shrugging, "It'll be on par with Onii-san dismantling his sand bag when he gets carried away."

Natsume munched on her snack, thinking it over, "So not that bad right?"

In the end it took _Reborn_ firing Leon off to get the kids settled (especially after Takeshi swung his remote during a golf game, where it slipped out of his hands and the Wii remote went flying out of his grip and out the window).

Reborn honestly didn't know how to feel – his original assignment since he had gotten here had been changed (he had been looking forward to terrorizing the children because _hey that's funny_ and it was a bit of hazing he did to see how people reacted to him).

It helped that they had been more receptive of his appearance (unlike Dino who seemed to have been completely against it) and were willing to ask him questions and ask things of him (even if he really shouldn't give them any mind – he was the tutor here, he had a job to do – it was probably the fact they didn't actually treat him like the infant he looked like) that they often took the advice he had given them.

Perhaps he was getting soft, maybe he had spent too long under this curse and he was losing his touch. Maybe, just maybe it had something to do with the fact that the twins were of the few Sky's that didn't grate at his nerves and were willing to accept him as is instead of demanding things of him (they had very low expectations).

"There's a hole in the ceiling Reborn," Natsume said, head tilted back to squint at the small cylinder hole he had made.

"I can't even reach up there to cover it up," Tsuna whined mimicking his sister, the fact that his remote and his window may need to be replaced being pushed aside by the fact that there was a bullet hole in his ceiling.

"Wow that's a really impressive toy kid!"

Hayato sputtered, but didn't bother correcting Takeshi, really if the guy hadn't realized what exactly was happening (especially when Reborn had corralled them all into a friendly fire game that would have been lethal to just about anyone else), he deserved whatever brick wall he ran into. ( **1** )

"You'll fix it tomorrow, Tsuna," Reborn informed the brunet who quickly looked down at him and gave him a deadpanned look.

"It's your mess."

"I've told you before as a Boss you must keep everyone under control," the hitman said, letting Leon shift back into a gun and crawl up his arm. "If I have to intervene my mess becomes yours to fix."

There was a 'gckk' sound that escaped Tsuna, his eye twitching and really Reborn would have loved to laugh, but he had an image to keep, so he kept a straight face and sat himself beside Haru, who seemed to be on his side.

"You can't expect Reborn-kun to clean up Tsuna-kun! He's just a kid!"

Natsume ignored the argument that soon sprung up between Tsuna and Haru, which quickly added in Hayato who was defending his 'Boss'.

"I'm going to get the remote," Natsume said, finding it within her to get off the bed.

"You have to take responsibility Tsuna-kun! Reborn's just a baby, what does he know? Aren't you supposed to be his big brother?"

"I'll be back, Kyoko can you –"she didn't need to finish her question. The auburn haired girl was already shooing her away, before she put her skills to the test. Kyoko's ability to destabilize a fight and calm down anyone was a total God send, especially during times when Hayato got riled up and Hana decided to egg him along.

Natsume thought that it had to do with all those years of putting up with Ryohei and his very loud and energetic personality and being able to calm him down.

Or it was a possibility that Kyoko probably had a Rain attribute.

Reborn hadn't gotten to telling them much of the Elements of the Sky, keeping them more focused on knowing and getting a feel for their flames. Kawahira on the other hand had told her she had to know them all to understand how she fit in.

Two different ways of learning, though she was leaning towards Kawahira's methods (even if he was brutal in his demonstrations and what he expected of her). She had thought rummaging through the Namimori Forests was bad with Reborn, but with Kawahira whenever she stepped into the circle he erected for them to 'spar' it was like facing down a true monster.

Getting to the bottom of the stairs and heading towards the door, Natsume made her way outside turning on the front light to at least give her a better chance of finding the white remote…against the white snow.

Great.

She chanced a glance upstairs, the argument seeming to have died down (go Kyoko!) No one was looking out the window and so she looked back over the white blanketed ground and focused, keeping her eyes fixed on a certain point and willing the Flames she possessed to spread out from her feet and search for anything within the vicinity.

It was almost like what bat's did to sense anything in the area, except she extended her senses through her flames. The light ping she received back led her towards the base of the tree that stood before Tsuna's room, nestled there in the snow was the remote.

Picking it up, she pocketed and headed inside.

/ | \

"I still can't believe they got Nezu for being a fraud."

"Good riddance," Hana murmured, grabbing one of the cookies that they had bought from the Café. "Really it wasn't like he was any good."

Kyoko hummed in agreement, "He wasn't very nice either." She still remembered that one time at the beginning of the year, when she had yet to get to know Tsuna that Nezu-sensei had called him out and belittled him in front of the class.

"'He was awful', just say it Kyoko, the man was an ass," Natsume stated, her hands wrapped tightly around her cup of hot mocha that she had ordered, enjoying the warmth that seeped through her fingers. She received a light slap against her shoulder from Kyoko and a shake of the head from Hana, "Why do you people do that?"

"You have a bad habit of cursing, it's not very ladylike."

Natsume stuck her tongue out at Kyoko, who giggled at her friend's response, "I've read that cursing is a sign of a very intellectual person, so _screw_ you guys." Natsume had caught Kyoko's puppy eyed look and couldn't really bring herself to tell her to fuck off.

The three sat in silence after that, munching on the snacks they had all bought and sipping their hot drinks. It was the first time they had done this and Natsume thought it was nice, there was no silly boy antics going on, no Reborn to show up and throw a curveball.

Just girl time with someone other than her mother and Bianchi, who quite frankly _scared_ Natsume when the woman got annoyed or decided to go off on whoever irked her (it was usually that new Doctor at the school, but hey Natsume didn't like him either).

"I'm kind of excited to start school, it'd be so nice to see everyone again after the break," Kyoko spoke up after a while.

"You're such a people person," Natsume grumbled, placing her elbow against the table and cupping her chin with her hand.

"You just don't like people," Hana pointed out, though she really had no right to say that.

"Reasons, m'dear Hana," the golden brown haired teen quipped back, plucking the last of the cheese danish's off the plate and nibbling at the corner of it to make it last, "Like you're any better."

"Tch," Hana pulled off a perfect little prissy sniff, nose sticking up in the air, arms crossing against her chest and everything, only for it to break down after a couple of seconds, a wry smile on her mouth. "Touché."

" _Y'know_ ," Natsume piped up, turning her head to catch one of the barista's at work, a sly smile curling her lips as she thought about how she would phrase this, "I'm curious to know why you two like this place."

"Their sweets are good," Kyoko informed, not bothering to hold back from getting another chocolate filled croissant, "They have so many varieties too."

"I'm here for the lattes."

"Oh~ nothing else?"

Both girls looked at each other, wondering what their friend was thinking. It wasn't until they caught her waggling her brows at them and gesturing to the two barista's behind the counter that they realized exactly what she was getting at. By the way Hana blushed to her ears and Kyoko tried to not choke on her bite of food, Natsume got them.

The teen leaned back in her chair, wanting to crow with laughter, but deciding that nobody in the vicinity needed to hear that. Instead she covered her face, smothering her laughter as Hana pouted at her and decided she was taking one of Natsume's treats, while Kyoko pointed out that Hana was _really_ red in the face, while also sporting a light pink blush of her own.

_It's so nice to have friends._

_Intermission 5_

_It kind of irritated me sometimes, to remember a life in which nothing terrible happened. Where the only thing I had to worry about was my grades, how could I help my friends, and how can I go about life doing as I pleased without disappointing my mother?_

_It seemed in that life I was always doing something to please others – I did as my mother asked, my father had often commented that music would never get me anywhere in life, so I gave it up. I did so many things I didn't like and really thinking about it now, I realized I was never_ really _happy._

_As Natsume I felt so much freer, I had no fear or worries about my life and how it would play out. I always went with the flow, never really fighting it too hard, unless it demanded that I should._

_I had a mother that loved and adored me, that would be willing to let me go when the time came and let me walk on my own. I had a brother who I knew I could fall back on; who I knew one day would be able to stand on his own – even if he probably didn't believe he could. And a father that tried to be there for his family, which was more than I could say about my previous one._

_We were changing now, Tsuna was able to stand on his own, though he still wobbled around, Mama was watching, more worried often than not, but always greeting us with open arms._

_As I watched the beginning months pass us by, as we visited the Island known as Mafia Land, I could only hope that whatever the Gods placed in our paths, that we will be fine._

_Part 15: We Try Our Best_

"When do you leave for your trip?"

The girl before him blinked up at him, the back of her hand covering her mouth as she yawned, "Monday I think?"

Kawahira nodded, gesturing for the girl to resume to what she had previously been doing. In the short few months that he had begun teaching her, he was willing to admit that she was a quick learner.

The meditations the arcobaleno had started her on had helped in relaxing her mind and her flames, letting her have a feel to that power that thrummed through her body. Now she was able to consciously call it forth without having to enter a meditative state - it was a quick change, one that few would notice now since she had learned to control it from showing in her eyes.

She was creative and liked making constructs of animals and copies of herself that he would then twist and pull until they broke into small wisps that lingered about his feet, trying to crawl up his legs only for them to be shrugged aside. He constantly tested her illusions, showing her ways how a simple gesture or touch can pull people under her influence.

It was almost scary how well she took to that.

"It's like I'm an Uchiha or something," he had heard her mumble once when after weeks of trying to pull it off, she finally accomplished the compulsion. He had wanted to question what that was exactly, but she had already referenced him to an old character named Dumbledore (which he found to be oddly fitting of him in some ways, once he picked up the books and read them) and he'd rather just _not_ deal with that.

"Do we just hang this up to dry now?" she showed him the bundle she had wrapped and he nodded in answer to her question. "Why am I working all these herbs all of a sudden?"

Kawahira sat himself before her, watching as she laid out the ones she would be taking and which ones she would be leaving behind for his own use, "You can't always rely on your flames," he began, lacing his fingers together, his eyes glancing over the box of bottled herbs and various wild flora that his assistant had gathered for him. "I'd rather you have a skill that is outside of your flames, instead of being without it and finding out the hard way when you fail."

"But these smell and they're kind of obvious no?" Natsume asked, beginning to wrap up the bundles in paper so they wouldn't be crushed or undone in her bag.

Kawahira shrugged with one shoulder, "Most of what people use now a day is marketed and well known, _you_ on the other hand will be creating your own and hoping it works as it should."

"I don't get it."

Kawahira sighed, leaning over and looking through his box and pulling out a specific bottle handing it over to her. She looked at the white flowers inside, thumbing grazing over the label taped over the front _'chokecherry_ '.

She looked back up at the white haired man who took the bottle back and set it back in its spot, "As you read, that was chokecherry and depending on which part of the plant you use, how much of it and what you mix it with it can spur along cyanide poisoning," he explained, finding the way her eyes widened amusing, "It can of course be used for medicinal purposes if made correctly. Seeing as we are in modern times it will usually depend on a person who is very familiar with plants and their properties to know what exactly is happening."

"This feels witchy," was her response and Kawahira found it odd that she sounded excited. Looking at the girl she had a pleasant smile, her eyes alit with some form of glee. "Do many people do things like this?"

Kawahira shook his head, he gave the girl a half smile, "Oh they try, but they don't get to the core point of it and most of the time its people who are inactive users, with your flames you will be able to manipulate and saturate whatever you use and exaggerate whatever effect it is you want."

Natsume leaned forward, elbow resting against the table and her hand cupping her chin, the glee in her eyes looking a bit crazy, "So I can make my own lotions if I wanted too ( **2** )."

The older man blinked, nodding slowly, "I'm not sure why you would want to, but yes as long as you have whatever else you need for that."

" _Cool_."

Kawahira had a feeling that though this wouldn't be happening anytime soon, he should be wary of anything the girl were to send his way, "Moving on, is there anything else you would like to do before you leave for today?"

The girl seemed thoughtful for a second, the hand that wasn't supporting her head going through her hair and twirling it between her fingers.

"No, not really."

He nodded, tapping his fingers against the table before he stood up, "Before you leave I would like for you to do something for me." She finished putting her things away, arranging the materials on the table to how they were when she arrived before she followed suit.

Putting on her shoes, she went through the heavily beaded curtain, rounding the corner to be on the other side of the counter.

"Here," he handed her a clear crystal, which she held between her pointer finger and thumb. She made a face and he seemed to barely hold back from rolling his eyes, "Focus your flames in it and let them saturate the crystal."

Holding it in her palm, she closed her hand around the clear crystal, her fist lighting in light purple and gold hues.

"Now you have to want your flames to stay in the crystal, don't want them leaking out and taking on whatever mind they want." It had happened once when she had first done this, she hadn't been focused enough and when the flames leaked out there were cats of various colors and species _everywhere._

Why they had taken on the form of cats, she had no clue, nor did she want to know what that said about her state of mind or what she wanted.

"That is enough," Kawahira tapped against her fingers, plucking the indigo tinted crystal out of her hands. "Off you go now."

She inclined her head towards him and turned around, though the look on her face let him easily know how she felt about his easy dismissal of her.

Brat.

When the door shut behind her, he turned around, carelessly waving his hand over his shoulder which lent to flipping the _open_ sign to _closed_ and the lights shutting off. His attention was on the crystal that held his student's flames and he was oddly curious about the feel of them.

/ | \

The three hour taxi ride to Shimzu Port was spent with one twin nodding off on their mother's shoulder, while the other stared out at the passing scenery for the first thirty minutes before falling asleep as well. Nana simply guided the eldest of her children, whose forehead was pressed up against the window and whose nose was wrinkling in annoyance, to lean against her.

She stroked her daughter's hair, which she noted was getting longer, reaching just a bit past her midback. Nana turned to eye Tsuna's hair, which was once more starting to resemble a lion's mane from how much it stuck up. She quietly clucked her tongue and wondered if perhaps there was a salon of sorts on the cruise ship that would help in maintaining her children's hair.

It was another thing she had stopped worrying about for them, leaving it up to them to do as they pleased. It was looking to be another situation similar to that of their messy rooms and she idly wondered what would happen if she started leaving dinner and her more mundane chores to them.

Her thoughts went on from there, fingers unknowingly twirling the light golden brown hair of her daughter, the color reminding her of her husband's grandmother, which made her think of her husband. An odd feeling settled within her and it made her think how exactly Iemitsu had gotten them these tickets.

A cruise wasn't something that happened on a mere whim, yet here was her husband, sending her and their two children off on one.

Perhaps it was the Mafia money that had made it affordable, the same money that probably paid off their modest home, and the same money that she used to buy the necessities for her home, the same money that was deposited in the twin's accounts (where she would give them their allowance from.)

Nana felt a little sick at the thought, she knew the Mafia wasn't clean cut most of the time, she understood there was much more to it than she would ever want to know.

She just wanted to know _why_ her husband had kept it from her.

Was she not trustworthy enough?

Did Iemitsu assume not telling them was going to keep them safe?

" _Mam,_ " Tsuna called to her, reaching for her hand that had stopped running through Natsume's hair and had begun to pick at her skirt. " _Don't look so worried."_

An odd laugh escaped Nana, letting her son lace his fingers with hers, " _Your mama thinks too much, Tsunayoshi."_ Natsume twitched, a light snore escaping her. " _I just need to relax."_

Tsuna hummed, nodding in agreement with his mother, " _I think we all do."_

/ | \

After settling down Nana had gone off to the spa in hopes of trying to relax, while the twins settled into their room (by bouncing around on the beds and flinging pillows at each other.) The knock on the door they got a couple minutes later had them scrambling, Natsume just letting herself fall onto her back and pretending to be sleeping, while leaving Tsuna to get the door.

"Get the door Tsume," Tsuna said, trying to pull his sister off the bed, "Come _on_ you're supposed to be the responsible one!"

"Wrong~~"

" _Mama_ said you were in charge!"

"And I said open the door!"

The bickering quieted ant the knocking resumed. Tsuna made a sound at the back of his throat, swatting at his sister's calf (who tried to kick him and failed). Not really wanting to and not having much of a choice, Tsuna approached the door, already thinking of ways to apologize to whoever it was (because it was obvious they were here because of the noise).

Opening the door Tsuna was surprised to see no one there.

"Ah?" He stepped out a little bit, looking up and down the hallway to see if anybody was walking away, "Okay then."

Closing the door and turning around, Tsuna screeched.

" _HIiiee! Reborn!"_

The boy shook his head and ran past Reborn, quickly jumping into the bed his sister was now sitting up in and burying himself beneath the covers. Natsume didn't know how to react, especially after Reborn followed after her brother and jumped up on the bed.

"….We are on vacation, right?" She asked, sounding like if he did deny her that, she wouldn't be to upset about it.

"Of sorts."

Her brow wrinkled in confusion, mouth opening slightly about to question him what that meant only for her to be spoken over by Tsuna, " _Natsume make it go away, my hopes and dreams have been crushed_." The teen girl only shook her head, hands coming up in surrender.

"He is your tutor and you must watch over him," Natsume said one of her hands coming up and covering her face. "You are on the verge of becoming a man and – _agk, you little shit!_ "

Luckily the walls on this ship were thick and thus whatever noise or fighting went on in the rooms, very few people would actually be able to hear unless something big and drastic happened. Reborn smiled, watching the twins bicker, for now he would let them relax and have their fun, of course when they reached their destination, he would be running them through.

When he received two judgmental looks, Reborn blinked at them, wondering _why_ they were looking at him like that.

"I sense a great evil," Natsume muttered to Tsuna, giving Reborn the stink eye.

"How can something so small, feel so evil?"

He was not letting off any vibes; he was too in control of himself, so why were they picking up on his intentions.

"Awe now he's confused, _how cute~_ "

"I've had enough of you two," Reborn said, raising Leon and letting the chameleon shapeshift into a slipper, smacking the two teens on the top of the head with it. There were groans, Tsuna leaning his head against Natsume's shoulder, while said girl held her head.

"Rude, I can't believe I thought you were cute."

Reborn straightened up, smiling cutely up at her, "I _am_ cute." Sometimes it paid off being a pint sized kid, because he was sure if he had been his adult self, Natsume would not be gaping at him and would have tried to strangle him ( _tried_ , but maybe he wouldn't have bothered getting on their level.)

"Tell _Mama_ , that dinner's on me tonight," and he jumped off the bed with that, sauntering out the room as if he owned the place.

"I can't believe him sometimes," he heard Natsume mutter before he shut the door, cutting off whatever conversation followed.

"Ne, Tsume, how'd you do that thing?"

Natsume lifted her face from her hands, slightly frowning as she tried to figure out what Tsuna was getting at, " _Oh,_ that? Uh," she wiggled her fingers, trying to find a way to properly show and explain what she had done. She tapped her pointer and middle finger against his wrist, focusing on his pulse and breathing in deeply. Using the same hand, she curved it up as if she was scooping something out of the air above Tsuna's wrist, and a small golden orb appeared, reflecting colors.

"It's….almost like a mood ring?" She tried explaining, closing her eyes as she concentrated on holding it up, "I have my flames, cause you know they're mist, I have them try to reflect what a person's feeling so I can have an idea of how they are….though Reborn's wasn't as focused, so I was just guessing at it," she opened up her eyes, smiling at him, "Thanks for going along with that, it was great."

"It's rare the moment we can tease Reborn and get away without being subjected to ' _training'_."

It was quiet between the two, Tsuna resting his head against her shoulder, watching as she let the ' _Illusion of the Mood_ ' as he was going to call it fall.

"You don't need that to pick up on people's intentions right?" he asked quietly, "Did you ever –"

"It's not that hard to tell what people feel sometimes, Tsuna," Natsume responded, voice low, hand curling around her brother's wrist, "Some people, like Reborn, are just better at hiding it."

"...Oh, okay."

Natsume turned her full attention to her brother, "Spit it out."

Tsuna pulled away from her, shaking his head frantically side to side, "Not now, maybe later, let's….let's just have fun for now?"

She squinted her eyes at him, not impressed with him avoiding whatever had crossed his mind.

" _Kay_."

_Part 16: Children Are Not Always Cute_

"Would you like to join him?" Reborn asked, popping up beside Natsume who had had the option to sit out on Colonello's obstacle course.

She bit her lip, shaking her head, "I think I'm fine right here," she said, trailing off as she tried to see what Colonello was getting at with his training. "Was this the whole point of coming here?"

The small blond was just hounding her brother through the course and on his whim would become an obstacle himself when he would throw himself down in front of Tsuna and try to fight him. She really wanted to know how the blond was able to wield that rifle so easily when it was twice as tall as him and was used in such close quarters.

"Colonello has his ways, he's second best compared to me."

It seemed like the small trainer had heard them, because after he had kicked Tsuna aside he aimed in their direction, shooting off a bright blue light that didn't look at all friendly. Reborn didn't bother making a move, already knowing how to brush off one of Colonello's bullets by using his own Sun flames to protect himself.

Natsume on other hand wouldn't be able too, yet before he could do anything, the air in front of him shimmered. Colonello's bullet looked to break through it, only for it to bounce off of whatever surface Natsume had conjured and fire right back at the blond.

"Reality is what I want it to be," Natsume said, her voice pitched a touch lower than usual, her gaze half lidded as she watched Colonello dodge both the bullet and Tsuna's kick. Tsuna didn't expect for Colonello to throw himself at him, kicking out his other leg and forcing him to go down on his knees.

The brunet barely had time to hold up his arms to block out the rifle the blond swung at him and was thrown back; rolling across the dirt and back onto the path he had run off of. Tsuna's instincts to either fight or flight kicked in high gear and he turned back down on the path, racing and aiming to finish the course before the small kid (person, whatever he and Reborn were, it wasn't _normal_ ) decided to up the danger level.

"Oi! Where are you going, kora!"

A shot rang out behind him and though usually he would have been freaking out (after months with Reborn he had learned to not show his fear) he called forth the flames he could and focused on the feel of them.

His panic tapered off, he dodged right and began a zigzag pattern up the planks as he jumped over the wall that he usually would have struggled to get over.

Calm and smooth, breathing even, that was Tsuna now and he relished in the feel of it.

From a distance he could feel something (Natsume) flare up and he knew she was doing what she could to call attention off of him. Knowing that his sister was still watching out for him pushed him on and the finish was close.

"Come on Tsuna!" he heard Natsume cheer, another dull crack resounding the air and he could feel a bullet whiz above his head.

He could feel his power fading and he thought only a couple more seconds, he reached for the pole that would grant him safety and used it to stop his momentum when his hands grasped it. He turned slightly on the pole; the last bit of momentum swinging him around to meet Colonello's shaking head as he mouthed something off to Reborn.

Tsuna waved up one arm and got a return wave from Natsume.

Colonello looked put out, having assumed that the little brat would have given up and failed at the very beginning. The blond looked on at Reborn, who made his towards him, a sly smile on his fellow arcobaleno's face.

"You could have warned me, I would have gone harder on him."

The hitman only shrugged, looking past him and towards the brunet who had let himself fall to the floor and was laying on his back.

"I didn't actually think he would make it so far," or that he would have used his flame in that way.

"Comparing him to the Cavallone brat," Colonello shook his head, flicking the safety on his rifle before he put on his back. "That's a huge disservice."

"He's no Mafia brat," Reborn responded, his fedora shadowing his features, ignoring as Natsume swept by to help Tsuna up, "But he's a quick study when he wants to be."

It usually took some form of motivation, because as Tsuna had said it, he never really saw the need to protect himself from anything, or needed to bother. As Colonello had done earlier, shooting at his sister or putting her in a situation where she would not be able to help herself pushed Tsuna beyond the limits he thought he was capable of.

Family defending family, love and care and fear of losing a cherished one always won out in the end and it was what made Tsuna's flames grow stronger and have more of presence.

The groan that came from Tsuna as he was helped up brought his attention and Reborn walked up to the two, jumping up onto Tsuna's shoulder and put his hand against the boy's cheek. There was a soft yellow glow and whatever scratches Tsuna had gotten healed over.

"Reborn used heal," Natsume mused aloud, a snicker escaping her, "Tsuna is ready for round 2."

" _No_ ," her brother hissed out, letting his head fall back as he shook his head, " _No, no,_ I hurt everywhere."

"Tch," Colonello huffed and would have said something sarcastic, if only the alarms hadn't started blaring, drowning out any and all sound. Once the warning sound ended, a feminine voice spoke alerting visitors to find safety and that it was a free for all on until the Carcassa Family was dealt with.

"No time like the present to experience an attempt to take over Mafia Land, kora!"

/ | \

The fight for the island didn't last long and Natsume was happy that neither she nor her brother were dragged into that petty fighting. Reborn and Colonello ended up stopping the 'leader', who called himself the Great Skull. Once he had been dealt with the small fleet of people that he had scattered to the winds, not at all wanting to be on the receiving end of either 'arcobaleno.'

When she first heard 'Arcobaleno' directed at Reborn, she had wanted to ask though something – probably her intuition – stopped her from doing so.

She had a feeling it wouldn't be a good thing and Reborn wouldn't be very nice about it, especially if it had something to do with _why_ he was so small.

No, no instead of wondering about it, she continued on with her day, spending it at one of the many beaches that Mafia Land seemed to have, happily soaking in the sun and trying not to run over the stray person that got in her way once she started skimming along the shore.

"This is nice."

The sudden voice in her ear freaked her out and she ended up falling off her board, landing with a slight splash in the water.

" _Ay, that's not cool_ ," she waded further into the water reaching for her board, giving Reborn - who had jumped off her shoulder and looked entirely amused – a pouty frown. "If you wanted a ride, you could have asked instead of doing that."

"No fun in that," Reborn responded, turning to look down and see how far they had gone from their group. "You shouldn't stray so far from the group either, although we are in the nicer parts, this is still Mafia Land."

She hummed, stepping closer to him and kneeling down before him, "Let's head back then," she said, still trying to get over the scare he had given her. "Hop on," she gestured for him to settle on her shoulder and he did. Her left arm came up, making sure he wouldn't fall off (because even though she didn't believe he was a kid, he was still small) she began to get ready to go down the shore again.

She made sure no one would be in her way and that the wave she wanted was coming in and started running, letting the board drop down in front of her before she got on. She was careful with her balance now that she the added weight and glided all the way down to where her mother and brother were staying at.

Reborn hopped off before she actually stopped and she shook her head, sticking out her tongue in concentration and directing the board out towards the water and taking one of the small incoming waves before she let herself fall into the water.

It was something she liked about this beach that it was deep, even if you only took a couple steps into the water. She broke the surface quickly, reaching out for her drifting board and letting herself settle on it for a quick minute before she headed back out.

She adjusted her water top, unrolling the sleeves that had curled back and pulling down the bottom that had come up.

"Tsuna you wanna go?" she called to her brother, dipping her head back into the water so she could get her hair out of her face. Her brother responded with a ' _No_ ' as she trudged out of the water, once more sticking the board into the sand and settling herself on one of the towels.

Her mother handed her a pineapple that was filled with chicken and rice.

"Where'd you get this?"

"A vendor over there," her mother gestured over her shoulder to the many shops, "Not usually what I would get, but I know you'd eat it."

A grin was what Nana got from her daughter, who dug into her food soon after. The breeze that came by ruffled her short hair, taking in the peace that she now had compared to the chaos of the previous days, and Nana couldn't help but relish in it.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Notes:
> 
> (1) I just found it funny because Yamamoto + Genkishi = Wall and yeah, bad joke.
> 
> (2) Just Natsume thinking up of ways of hurting people without their notice, because y'know, who would suspect lotion of all things to being 'poisoned'? Idk I'm dumb and tired, I'll probably look over this again.
> 
> So I never realized how far Arizona was until we went there, I also thought I'd be able to put this up but apparently my aunt doesn't have wifi. soo. yeah. Friendship building, dorks being dorks, sibling + mom time, sibling + Reborn time. I should probably write down what I want to talk about, but any questions, critiques, concerns lemme know.
> 
> I tried proofreading, I'm not the best, but yeah.
> 
> Again anything let me know in a comment, thanks to all of you who have done so in the past, and to all you people who have kudo'd, bookmarked (and ghost read) this story, ya'll are awesome.
> 
> Until Next Time
> 
> Sorugao


	6. Chapter 6

**Word Count:** 7896

**Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!**

* * *

_Part 17: Ruckus Never Ends_

Coming home after Mafia Land was like accidentally setting off a box full of fireworks.

It was loud, sometimes there was a fire, kids were crying, and there were actual explosives. It was actually nice, minus the fact that they had to cover up whatever messes came about because of their friends ( _Hayato_ ).

When the second year of school started, Natsume wasn't at all feeling bad about her and Tsuna being in separate classes again, mostly because he had good friends like Takeshi and Hayato – most were intimidated by the Italian teen and decided that he was not one to piss off.

The school year went on fine, until one blond teen transferred over into her class, who she really wasn't going to bother with him because he seemed 'loud' and 'too much to deal with'. So she wasn't at all surprised when he called to her once the bell for lunch rang and gave her a big grin.

' _Even if you don't want to talk, it's always polite to give people the attention they think they need, it'll keep them happy and content and it will be much easier to get certain persons to side with you when you need help.'_

Did that lesson apply here?

Something about the teen bothered her senses and it wasn't until he was introducing himself, trying to be charming and suave did she realize who he may be.

"Longchamp?" she repeated his name, trying not to look at the blond as if he was mental ( _because who in their right mind just comes out and says they're Mafia?),_ Reborn had only done it but that was because he's Reborn and it seemed he could do whatever he wanted (his treatment in Mafia Land was a real eye opener on how big a deal Reborn really was).

The kid winked at her, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "I heard you're the girl to talk to if I want a word with the Vongola Boss."

"Who said that now?" she was straining to keep up the smile, she just wanted to know _who_ had said that so she could make them feel bad, or yell, she was pretty good at yelling.

"Reborn of course!"

" _Heh,_ really?" while the teen nodded enthusiastically, Natsume was of the thought that Reborn probably wouldn't give this kid the time of day. "Well, perhaps after school, so you can have more time to talk?"

And so she could dump Longchamp on Tsuna and Hayato while she looked for Reborn, because _really_ she didn't sign up for this.

"Cool! I'll see you later then!" and the blond was off to meet with a man who looked a little too old to be in Middle school.

Natsume shook her head slightly, not putting much more thought into what Naito could possibly want. He appeared harmless, didn't seem to actually _want_ anything from her brother and if something did happen; well there was always Hayato to take care of that.

/ | \

After school she had made it seem like she was going to stay and wait for Kyoko. She watched from her classroom window as Naito met up with Tsuna, was amused as Hayato was his usual, suspicious self (she could hear him yelling at the blond).

She turned to leave the classroom only to see a person she really hadn't been wanted to meet, at least not by herself (especially after what Reborn had pulled in the reception room, really only he would find it amusing to slap the most bloodthirsty kid with a slipper upside the head.)

"Hibari-san."

"Sawada."

Oh, no good, he actually used her name. ( _Don't freak out, be calm, I know there's scary stories about him, but stay calm…._ )

The prefect seemed content to just stare down at her, blocking off the doorway, while she tried to not fidget around.

"Did I do something Hibari-san?"

There was the sound of dynamite going off (along with joyous laughter and commentary about _pretty fireworks_ , damn Naito had a pair of lungs on him) and Natsume tried not to wince as Hibari narrowed his eyes at her.

"Keep your group under control," was all he said as he finally moved away from the doorway. She stared after him, a bit confused and she wondered when the hell people started assuming that _she_ was the one they listened to.

"Sawada."

"Uh, Kusakabe-san?"

The (really) tall vice president of the committee nodded, his hair bouncing slightly at the movement, "Did Hibari-san speak with you?" he actually seemed a bit surprised over something and now she was curious as to _why_ the supposed leaders of the Discliplinary Committee were looking for her.

"He said something about controlling my group."

Kusakabe sighed through his nose, his mouth a tight line, "Reports have come from our members about you speaking against the committee, is this true?"

She made a noise at the back of her throat, glancing upwards as if to see the answer as to _why_ this was happening written up there.

It wasn't.

"Why does this matter _now?_ "

"You must understand we cannot have students speaking badly against the committee, especially when it was formed for the sake of them."

Natsume raised a brow, an insincere smile crossing her features, "I'll believe that when I see it happen, Kusakabe-san. Few of your people _actually_ do what they're supposed too and the others just do as they please, knowing they'll get away with it."

"Then why not speak up?"

" _Ha_ , yeah right and be on the shit list of those people," Natsume snarked with, finally making her way out of the classroom, "I know better than to try to tattle on those who are doing wrong, now if you'll excuse me."

And she left, because she had places to be and she'd rather not have a certain old man waiting.

/ | \

"Hello, hello to you!"

"Hi?"

The man before her seemed incapable of standing still, either bouncing in place or shuffling side to side. The markings around his eyes kind of reminded her of a panda and with the antics he had going on, he appeared much younger than he probably was.

"Don't overwhelm the girl, Wonomichi," Kawahira chastised, fanning himself lightly from where he sat on the couch, watching the meeting going on. Compared to Wonomichi, Natsume seemed a lot more reserved until someone irked her, so he was kind of curious to see how the girl reacted to his

"Is she the one?"

Kawahira nodded, crossing one leg over the other, "This is my acquirer, Wonomichi, he travels about and picks up on certain curiosities or anything that I think the shop needs."

Wonomichi nodded, the gesture looking a bit exaggerated, "Oh yes, hee~hee~"

"Oh," Natsume got out, trying to get used to the big, cheerful presence that the panda eyed man before her had. "Is this why you wanted me to come today?"

"No," Kawahira shook his head, "He dropped by, brought in a couple new things if you want to have a look at them."

Wonomichi nodded once again, "Oh, yes, yes~ there are a couple new crystals I brought, they're actually whole instead of the pieces I usually bring, along with some books, fresh herbs to replace the ones you needed and antiques that most people don't want."

"I'll sort that later, you may go and rest if you desire too, Wonomichi."

The slick haired man tipped is head forward, bidding both a good day and disappeared to the small upstairs attic that Kawahira had set up for guests. As soon as the other man disappeared, the white haired man snapped his fan shut, flicking his wrist out which made the furniture in the room 'disappear'.

He made a circular motion with his hand and in the place of the coffee table and the other couch that had been, a circle of mist appeared.

"A short spar today and then we'll improve on that mood sense of yours."

Luckily she came prepared today, even if she didn't get a chance to change out of her skirt she had worn shorts underneath and her usual workout shirt that she had started wearing when Reborn started their daily exercise.

Stepping into the circle, she breathed out slowly, keeping her eyes on the man before her, who had a knowing smile before he covered it up by opening up his fan and using it to hide his face. His eyes peered at her over the edge, taking note of the loose way she stood, shoulders relaxed and feet shoulder width apart.

"As I've said before, Mist users are not physical fighters," he began, beginning to pace around the edge of the 'line' he had created, Natsume mimicking him. "There was once a time when that was nonsense and Mists were considered the worst fighters to go up against. A fight is never a fair one with a Mist, not when they can both physically harm you and create a mental disturbance at the same time."

Using the advantage of both his height and reach, it only took a quick two steps to get in the girl's space, the hand that held his fan coming down in slicing motion. As always with Natsume there was a flicker, her hands coming up and wrists crossing to block his strike.

The first couple times they had done this, she had bled, now his fan crumpled at the edges and she pushed out, one hand coming up to catch his wrist and the other flowing down, palm up as it came towards his stomach, a haze of indigo becoming a sharp point.

It made contact, piercing through him and yet his body did not bleed, instead it dissolved, becoming nothing and the essence of mist flames pooling along the ground.

Natsume jumped into the air, eyes flashing amber as she did so and a small bout of flame appearing on her head. She floated a few inches off the ground and barely had time to turn around to block the next hit that Kawahira had aimed at her lower back.

She was pushed away, towards the middle, spinning from the force and making it harder for her to focus. Her hands came down at her sides before one moved forward and the other went back and kept them at shoulder level.

Kawahira had once again disappeared and she was forced to focus on where he would pop up again. She inhaled slowly, amber eyes seeming distant and uncaring and without a single twitch, she let herself fall to the floor, where the mist began to crawl up her legs, only for her arms (which she had still been holding up) to come down once more and made a thrusting gesture.

From her pointer and middle fingers, a straight line of mixed flames emitted, dispersing through the mist, making it all pool together to one side and forcing Kawahira to show himself.

There was a wry smirk on Kawahira's face as he took in his student's crouched form, the oddly colored eyes and the small flame that appeared on her forehead.

' _What would you think of me now, Sepira?'_ he thought to himself, flicking his fan closed and sliding it up his sleeve. He mimicked his student's stance, though not going as low as she was, _'See, through this one, our ways will live on.'_

/ | \

"Hey Tsuna, are you doing the sports festival?"

"Probably not –"

"Why wouldn't Tsuna be a part of it?"

It was due to how many times Reborn liked to pop up on them that Natsume didn't bat an eye and it was _because_ of Reborn appearing when he pleased and announcing the oddest of things that Tsuna only looked up and asked whoever was up there _why him?_

"Sawada!" and that was Ryohei, who seemed to be burning with energy and looked a little _too_ pumped up over something. "You've been chosen as Captain for your class!"

Here Natsume directed an annoyed look at Reborn, who didn't even bother acknowledging it – he was used to people directing their darkest intent at him, what was a girl's annoyance going to do? (Nothing, absolutely nothing but amuse him.)

"That's a joke, right senpai?"

Tsuna seemed a little too calm, though Natsume knew he wanted to freak out, it was in the way the corner of his eyes crinkled, even though he smiled like he usually did, there was a fakeness to it. Reborn seemed to have noticed it, because he didn't comment on it further, instead turning to the others,

"I'm curious to see how you all work in a group with Tsuna leading it."

Tsuna made a sound that was a cross between Emi's whining cries and a dying animal, the brunet put his face in his hands, "Don't tell me –"

' _You are selecting guardian candidates already?'_

"They came to you actually."

Why Tsuna assumed he was picking his guardians out for him, Reborn had no clue; did he not understand the lesson on how a Sky drew in their elements on their own? There was no way to force a bond like Harmony between people, not even if it was for the best.

The others merely looked on, confusion clear on their faces as they watched the tutor and his student stare at each other, while Natsume seemed to have left the classroom, unease filling her once again.

/ | \

Sports Day was both like any other that Namimori had hosted and a little different.

Honestly Natsume was actually surprised to be chosen to play for the volleyball part and was not at all surprised when her mother actually came around and cheered the loudest, _because that was her baby girl and look at her kick ass!_

Of course no one understood exactly what Nana was saying, Reborn caught a couple words and Tsuna was mostly left to translating for those that really wanted to know (Kyoko was curious).

The girls from team A and B had decided to team up against C and were smart enough to know exactly how Natsume played and how vicious she could be. Tsuna winced already knowing that the force Natsume used to smack the ball to the other side was her all especially so they could get the winning point.

The other side managed to get to the ball, throwing it up and doing one of the more confusing plays that often turned around the opponents, seeing as people kept feinting until they finally hit it.

" _Oi! Get dat!"_

There was the sound of shoes squeaking against the floor, a grunt from one of the girls that tended to stay back as she slid and managed to prop the ball up. One tossed it to the other, tossing back up, when one of the other girls went to run up and make it seem like she was going to it, she was about to hit with her right hand, only to switch it up and use her left hand, swatting the ball to the other side where only one of the upperclassmen stood.

The girl tried to get it, only to miss and the last point to go to the combined teams of the lower classmen.

There was an uproar from the stands and Natsume couldn't quite shake out the giddy feeling of actually having won and people congratulating her on her plays, along with her teammates.

An odd crooked smile appeared on her face, especially when her mother came up, her brother alongside her.

"You set me up," she whispered in his ear when he gave her a side hug.

Since he had been made 'Captain', it had been up to him to set up the teams depending on the sports they were playing this year around. Compared to the previous year's Captain's, who were usually focused on winning, Tsuna's main idea was to just have fun. When the others had tried to fight over, he merely waited for them to quiet down, giving them the disappointed puppy face which surprisingly worked.

(Reborn would have patted himself on the back for that one, if only Tsuna didn't look like a wounded pup when he was supposed to pull off disappointed boss look #2, (( _make them feel guilty for trying to deny you_ )).

All Tsuna did was give her this cattish smile, tugging on the end of her braid, "You loved it though."

She pursed her lips to keep from smiling, but she couldn't exactly hide that, "Whatever, just remember what you have to do after this."

Here Tsuna paled, letting his head fall forward to the point his chin nearly rested against his chest, "Don't remind me."

" _Come on Tsume, Tsuna, picture!"_

She held up a peace sign, barely sticking the tip of her tongue out and Tsuna gave the camera a scrunched nose, his head coming up to almost lean against Natsume's.

"Now with your team!"

The others were still around, their own parents nodding eagerly and once the whole team was together, Tsuna was about to sneak out, only for one of the taller girl's to put an arm around him and give him a wide smile, "Everyone say _Tsuna-Taichou!_ "

The sound Tsuna emitted made the team laugh and by the end of it Tsuna was blushing a deep red from all the congratulations and thank yous he received from his classmates.

Reborn popped up on his shoulder, patting Tsuna on the head, "You'll get used to that soon enough."

Kyoko and Hana had waited for Natsume outside of the locker room, who came out of the locker room sporting her casual clothes (black knee length shorts and a light grey baseball tee with burgundy sleeves).

"Good game Natsume," Hana said to the other girl, a playful smile on her lips, "I'm actually surprised you did so well."

Here Natsume rolled her eyes, "I _have_ been going to the practices and I _may_ be playing in the fall."

"Congratulations! I know you've been working towards that!" Kyoko said her usual bright self and being the light to Hana's bland self. The trio walked together toward the field that had been set up for the last tournament, finding Nana was easy (she seemed to be talking to Bianchi, whose magenta hair led the way).

"You know I'm so glad Tsuna actually went along with being captain," Kyoko piped up, wiggling her fingers at both Lambo and I-pin "From what _onii-san_ has said, these games usually get very violent and people fight a lot with each other."

"Yeah?" The twins had decided to skip out on last year's game, just wishing Takeshi luck since he was playing in the baseball game.

Kyoko hummed, "I don't know how Tsuna did it, but I'm glad he was able to convince everyone to just have fun with it."

"Sometimes I wonder _why_ people call you two, _No Good,"_ Hana added, arms crossed her chest and keeping Natsume and Kyoko between the kids. The questioning look Hana received had her rolling her shoulder back, "It was when we would sit in and have lunch every now and then with you two, someone told us that, but I'm never one to listen to what others say."

Kyoko sported a frown here, "Yeah, I remember that and I didn't get it, because you two are anything _but_ that."

Natsume was feeling a little out of her element, especially because she never did like talking about how others treated her and her brother and often just dealt with it, "Oh."

Noticing this, Kyoko merely gave Natsume a warm smile, "You two are great and hopefully after all this," here she waved out at the group of _boys_ all but shouting war cries ( _was that Hibari being held up by Group C?),_ "People will see you two differently."

There was a loud smacking sound as the groups merged, Natsume could barely make out Takeshi, Hayato and Ryohei supporting Tsuna, who ducked away from one of Hibari's swings and tried to keep his balance at the same time.

Tsuna's pole leaned more forward as Hibari's was pulled back and held straight up and her brother used that to jump from one pole to the other and push Hibari off, who saw it coming and switched around.

"Drop the pole! Sawada's on it!"

There was a startled cry from Tsuna when the pole began to lower and he jumped off, wrapping around the other pole and tried his best not to slip off. Natsume watched, curious to see what else her brother would do and when he grabbed onto the edge of the small platform and began to swing himself side to side, she shook her head.

The others who held realized what their Captain was doing and began to move along with him, Hibari, who tried to hold onto the platform, raised a brow in amusement and pushed himself off onto the lowering pole of Group C's, which ended up falling all the way down with a resounding smack with his sudden weight.

It was quiet as both sides tried to realize what had just happened and soon the air was rent with a bunch of shouts of delight.

"Maybe they will," Natsume finally voiced, hands lacing behind her back as she saw Tsuna being hauled about like a sack of potatoes.

_Part 18: Our Last Peaceful Summer_

When summer came around, Takeshi had suggested a friendly game of baseball and for once no one was actually against it. So plans were made and on the following weekend of the summer break, the group of friends had met at one of the parks that had a small baseball pitch.

"This is going to be bad," Natsume said, tying up her shoes and then double knotting them so they wouldn't come undone.

"This is going to be extreme!"

Kyoko expertly ignored her brother, instead asking Natsume why she thought that, "I have a feeling."

They would have split the teams up, but seeing as each team would have only ended up with three people (Hana had decided to just watch and eat the snacks that the twin's had brought, the moocher) instead depending on how long it took to get a decent hit on the ball and have it go a ways past second base, did each person get a point – of course depending on how many strikes a person got, it could also go against them seeing as every three strikes a point was taken away.

Then they would have to run around the pitch and at least _try_ to make it back to home base without getting tagged out and the only people to manage that so far was Ryohei and Takeshi.

The first round had gone well enough as did the second round.

It was the third round where one little problem arose and Natsume was a little irked that she had lost the points she had earned and was heading towards the negatives. Takeshi tried not to laugh at the irritated look she was casting him, almost giving him the evil eye.

"Just hit the ball Natsume."

The light haired girl looked behind her at Reborn, cocking her hip to the side as she rested the bat on her shoulder, "I'm going to hit you instead, _what do you think I've been trying to do?_ "

Reborn didn't bat an eye, already having an idea of which way she would swing if she did try to do that (which she wouldn't because Kyoko would talk her ear off about how to properly play with children), "Then get good."

"I would if _someone_ ," she turned back to Takeshi who held up his hands to try to placate her or keep her away, "Didn't throw it so damn fast! Honestly, can I have Ryohei throwing it again?"

All the dark haired teen do was shake his head, his hands going behind his back, heel tapping against the dirt mound, "One more time."

She shrugged the bat off, her wrist moving along with it and the head of the bat hit the floor. She sighed, her shoulders moving along with exaggeratedly, " _Fine_."

She got ready once more, breathing in deeply and out slowly, eyes focusing on Takeshi and on the way he moved. He threw the ball as he usually did, but for the couple of seconds it took to get to Natsume it moved much slower. When she judged the ball close enough she swung with all her might and the ball made a resounding crack against the wooden bat and flew straight back at Takeshi.

Time resumed and Takeshi was just barely able to catch the ball before it decided to lodge itself in his stomach. Honeyed eyes blinked down in surprise before looking at the wide ones of Natsume's. A strangled kind of laugh escaped her, because _wow_ that would have sucked to get hit in the gut.

"Next! And this time _don't_ try to actively hurt the pitcher!" Reborn didn't bother trying to hide the mirth from his voice, nor the smirk that had appeared on his features.

Natsume handed the bat off to Ryohei, who was bounding over and flashing her a thumbs up, "Nice hit Natsume!"

"Right, luck be with you, senpai," she said to him before heading up and taking his spot on third base.

Ryohei missed the first pitch, along with the second but managed the third, sending it over Takeshi and out towards Hayato's direction. At this point Hayato was running on _'I must win out of spite'_ fumes and was actually able to catch Ryohei's hit, earning a point for himself instead of it going towards Ryohei's score.

Hayato passed the ball to Tsuna, who tossed it over to Takeshi and the next person to go up was Kyoko. The dainty looking girl took up the bat and got comfortable, giving Takeshi a nod that she was ready. The pitcher threw and Kyoko swung and there was resounding smack as the ball hit wood once again. The ball headed towards Natsume, who tried to catch it _and did_ only for her foot to step into an unexpected hole.

All the other's saw was the teen tripping over what seemed nothing and a rather quiet 'agh' leaving her. Hayato being the closest bounded over to her seeing the scrunched up face on his Boss's sister's face, of course she seemed to put that aside for now and thrust the ball in his face.

"I got this damned thing," she hissed out, picking herself up and wincing when she put weight on her right foot. "Damnit, help me."

With the help of Hayato she was taken to where Hana was siting, who shook her head while happily sipping at a juice box, "This is why I don't play sports."

Natsume scoffed at the same time Hayato did, though his went by unnoticed, "Really, I would have never realized that."

The others bounded in, using the moment to call for a break and eat some of the snacks. Hayato grabbed a couple napkins and picked up some of the ice cubes in the chest and folded them up and handed it to Natsume, "Here put this on where it hurts so it doesn't swell up too bad."

"Awwee, Haya-chan _cares_ ," Natsume couldn't help but tease as she took what he offered her, enjoying the pink that appeared around his cheeks.

"Sh-shut up!"

"Don't be shy, Hayato, we're friends aren't we?"

The teen sputtered, quickly turning away from her and busying himself with the sandwiches they had wrapped earlier in the day. He counted himself lucky, because if Haru had decided to join them (who at times appeared out of nowhere when her schedule allowed it) she would have gone to the point where Hayato just stalked off.

"You okay, Tsume?"

"Hmm, I think I'll be fine," she assured her brother, who had crouched in front of her, Takeshi standing close beside him. "I think I'll be hopping home though."

"We'll take a better look at that when we get home," Reborn piped up from beside her and really, she was going to throttle the kid (person, _whatever_ ) one day, because he could at least _not_ try to sneak up on them all the time.

She nodded, understanding that though he could heal her, there were too many unknowing people around them for him to do so.

"Nice catch though, earned you back a point at least!" Takeshi as always tried to see the brighter side of things, looking down at her a bit unsure.

Natsume looked back at her brother, before she looked at Takeshi again, "Negative 2, goes up to negative one, I still lost."

The taller teen shrugged, taking a seat beside her, while Tsuna sat on her other side, "You had fun at least, right?" he asked, and she noticed as one of his brows rose on the last word, as if he was seeking some sort of approval or something.

She nodded, "I did, and also my bad for almost gutting you with the baseball, I suck at getting it to go _up_." Takeshi laughed, his hands in his lap, thumbs fiddling with each other, it wouldn't have been the first time she had almost hit him or someone else, the two times that Natsume had swung before it either narrowly evaded a person or bounced right over them.

"It happens."

"Here you guys go," Tsuna piped up handing off two juice boxes and wrapped sandwiches. Natsume flipped her hand palm up and made a squeezing motion and a bag of chips was put in her hand before she could even voice what she wanted.

"Thanks Tuna-fish~"

Hayato ended sitting in front of them eyeing Ryohei as the other white haired teen began speaking with Tsuna, bringing up the sports day and how much of a success it had been.

"I honestly didn't think you had it in you Tsuna, I'm really glad you did it though!" the boxing captain honestly proclaimed, which seemed to irk Hayato, because _why is he talking like that to the Tenth?_ The silver haired teen was nudged and he caught Natsume's good ankle and gave her a slight glare.

"Really?"

She sniffed, wriggling her foot in his grip until he let go, "You had that look on your face."

Hayato narrowed his eyes, "What look?"

The girl cupped her chin and tried to make mock lovey dovey face, "Oh tenth, no one talks that way to the tenth~ how dare they – look," she snickered at his deadpanned expression. "It's adorable, sometimes, but you should chill."

"I _am_ chill."

Takeshi decided to get in before Natsume could blow a raspberry in the silver haired teen's direction, " _Why_ do you call Tsuna, tenth? I've always wondered that."

Here Hayato and Natsume locked gazes, Natsume's brows slightly rising and Hayato clamping his mouth shut, "Ah, Hayato's weird like that." The disapproving look she received for that was ignored as she turned to Takeshi, " _Y'know_ he says weird stuff all the time."

Takeshi frowned feeling as if he wasn't getting the truth at all, but he decided to leave it for now, "Is it because of those games you play with the kid?" Or maybe he wasn't, really, he wanted to know what they did exactly because it looked like fun ( _and maybe, just maybe, he wanted to grow like Tsuna did, he wanted to be better than he was, than he had been. He wanted to prove to people that he was more than just a baseball player and maybe that would help…_ )

"You interested in our games, Takeshi?"

Natsume looked away, mouth pressed in a thin line as she once more looked at Hayato who looked at least a touch apologetic, especially knowing how seriously Reborn took those 'games' that Takeshi thought they did.

He had been dragged along on the training at times and it was almost hell to keep up and go through whatever obstacles or mock battles that Reborn set up for them. Hopefully the baseball idiot wouldn't actually be brought into it, unlike Hayato _he_ wasn't Mafia, and didn't have a need to get involved.

Of course under Reborn's eye, he could see the tentative bonds forming, Takeshi's need to prove himself and the way either twin regarded the baseball player. It was more noticeable in Tsuna, Natsume still seeming to hold a slight grudge against Takeshi, probably not even realizing that she was still slightly upset at him (Reborn had noticed her flame act up and guide the ball back to Takeshi, it was just luck and quick reflexes that Takeshi wasn't in the hospital).

The others were slowly coming along, but there was no rush, Tsuna still had time to gather his people, though it seemed that they would truly become his if they accepted Natsume and the girl accepted them back.

Odd, but it wasn't odd for a twinned flame, even if it was a bit weak on Natsume's side (while Tsuna's was bright and warm and pure, hers had been twisted through her Mist, appearing darker and untrusting, but just as powerful when she put her mind to it).

Silly to put the two as such, but they were each other's Yin (Natsume) and Yang (Tsuna).

"I'll play along if you let me."

"Let's play a game once Natsume's ankle starts feeling better then."

Before they had left that day they had planned a beach trip, Kyoko saying that she would try to get Haru to come along, while Natsume made a face that was quickly wiped away by Tsuna's elbow digging into her side.

"Excuse you, _I'm injured_."

"If you keep making faces, your face will get stuck that way."

Natsume stuck out her tongue and pulled the bottom of her eye at Tsuna, who looked as if he was suffering because of her.

"Hey, Takeshi, would you mind helping me carry Natsume?"

"Sure Tsuna!"

" _What,_ I don't need to be – _Heeeyy_ , nooo," she really couldn't say anything, not as Takeshi squatted down and pretty much offered her a piggy back ride back home and knowing that Hayato wouldn't make it far with her and that Tsuna just didn't want too.

She sniffed at her brother in disdain as she was hauled up, wrapping her arms around Takeshi's shoulders to not slip off, "I'm going to get you back Tsuna, _you betta be ready to get owned._ "

Tsuna merely waved her off, picking up the now empty ice chest, while Hayato (slightly against his will) carried the gear Takeshi had brought.

The foursome began making their way back to the Sawada home, Reborn having long abandoned them to do more 'interesting' things. It was an almost peaceful walk home – almost because Natsume realized Takeshi was ticklish and was nearly dropped when she poked at his side.

Tsuna caught the cackle his sister tried to smother, when she tried breathing out an apology between choked laughter to Takeshi, who was pouting of all things.

" _Y'know_ ," Tsuna started, drawling the word out and earning a look from his sister, "The back side of her knee and her feet are very ticklish."

" _Death to traitors."_

All Takeshi did was give him a smile that would have usually been passed off as innocent, minus the fact that the teen's honeyed eyes had a mischievous spark to them.

"Try it and I –"

"You'll what?" Takeshi questioned, brow rising in challenge at her tone.

The girl harrumphed and while others would have said she was sneering and looking down at them, Tsuna knew she was just pouting.

"I'll make you regret it in the games."

Hayato covered up the sound he made by taking a drag off of his cigarette, if the baseball idiot accepted that, he was going to regret it.

"Oh yeah?" there was an edge there, one that Tsuna had quietly dubbed 'dark Takeshi' because his friend was usually sweet and very mild tempered making Tsuna wonder what his friends mind was like to make him seem so threatening at such a challenge. "We'll see."

Takeshi didn't see the smirk that curled Natsume's lips, though it quickly disappeared when he began to tickle the back of her knee and she tried to clamp down on his hand, only for her to realize that that was her bad leg and _ouch_ , _no this wasn't fun_ _anymore_.

"Be prepared to be filled with regrets," she bit out. She tugged at his hair when he wouldn't cease, "Mind you that's actually hurting me."

When he realized _why,_ all the baseball player did was laugh.

/ | \

It was the morning of the beach trip and Reborn had decided to choose that day of all day's to have a little 'training', so there newest member could know what to expect. It was a bleary eyed group of teens that met out in Namimori's Forest, the sun nowhere near rising as they huddled around.

Tsuna could see why Reborn had suggested going to sleep early last night, he was just happy he actually listened. Natsume stood a ways back, looking grumpy at having been woken up and literally dragged out of bed – she hadn't been a part of the last session, she had thought she would have been able to skip this one out.

Hayato meanwhile looked ready for just about anything, though he tried to play off that he was relaxed. Takeshi was just curious to know what was about to happen and why everyone seemed so high strung about it (because it was so obvious, how many times did the guys on the team try to act cool, but really they were all gung ho and ready to go for whatever.)

Reborn finally stepped out from wherever he had been hiding, hands tucked into the pockets of his suit's jacket and seeming unusually serious.

"Today we will only be out here for an hour, afterwards you can return home and rest, I was just curious to see where you all stand at the current moment, especially once we add in our new player here," here Reborn took his hands out of his pockets, hand going up to his fedora where Leon scattered out from the back and crawled onto his hand. "We will be learning about Rain and what the meaning of that element is, Takeshi here will demonstrate."

The others tensed, Natsume actually being the most relaxed out of all of them as Leon morphed into a gun and before Takeshi could even ask what was about to happen, a shot rang out ( _and she felt a phantom pain in her forehead and the sound rang out forever but she couldn't focus on that now, later, always later. She could deal with this later_.)

Takeshi felt his whole body tense up before it relaxed, there was a sudden blankness to him that was nice to feel, compared to the constant conflicting thoughts that ran through his head. With the blankness came a darkness that he didn't like, it was terrifying, sickening, it made his worst thoughts seem like nothing.

He didn't want that, he wanted to live, he wanted to be with his friends.

People that cared and probably loved him, just like his old man did, just like his mother once had.

He opened his eyes ( _when had he ever closed them?_ ) and everything around him felt much clearer, his movements were free and he felt as if he wasn't being weighed down by, by something.

What had the kid done?

He looked down at his hands, brow scrunching in thought as he tried to figured out just why exactly he felt so different, yet so much better.

"Ahem," that was Natsume clearing her throat and when he looked up, he could see her hands glowing an odd color. She clucked her tongue at him and when he looked to meet her gaze, she shook her head, "You have about five minutes to stand against me," she said and he noted that her eyes were purple like that one time. "Let's see how well you do."

He reached for the baseball bat the kid had left at his house last night and barely managed to bring it up in time to counter whatever the hell Natsume sent his way. The serpentine figure dispersed when the hidden sword in his bat revealed itself, but was quickly replaced by Natsume taking its place, coming in low and aiming to kick his legs out of him.

' _Jump, bring it the sword down_ ' his instincts screamed at him and before he could even compute he had done just so and had sliced through the girl he considered friend. He should feel shocked shouldn't he? But he was calm and collected, sword held at his side, both hands on the grip as he waited for – what _was_ he waiting for?

"You will come to realize that these games are much more than they seem," Takeshi chanced a look over his shoulder to see Natsume and he felt some part of him sigh in relief, "These games prepare us for the life before us."

He didn't say anything, instead bringing his sword and just trying to swing through the girl, who blocked it with a staff that _she did not have_ seconds ago. She didn't budge, she had faced Kawahira one too many times – had taken the man's brute strength and flames to let someone like Takeshi's power hinder her.

"You have three minutes to beat me," blue eyes narrowed and Natsume could feel the rise in his flames, a soothing feeling settled about her, trying to calm her, but she knew better than to let it get to her. She pushed his sword away, leaving him open and another her instantly appeared at his side a shorter staff in her hand as she swung it at Takeshi and used it to bat him away.

The teen rolled into the ground, holding his stomach and surprisingly not feeling any pain, when he righted himself back up it was to barely use his sword to block another of Natsume's hits, only for a hit to come from behind him and throw him aside.

"Baby Rain still has a lot to learn," She almost cooed at him as if she would have been talking to Emi. Takeshi blinked once he righted himself back up and was confused to be stared down by Tsuna and Hayato, Natsume still a ways back behind them. "You two can have at him, I'll stay back."

The other two boys nodded, Tsuna's eyes a bright gold as he strode forward, hands coming up in a placating motion, because right now judging by both his flames and his expression, Takeshi was confused.

"Just relax," Tsuna spoke, his usually soft spoken voice sounding much confident, like it demanded to be listened too. "Hayato, no dynamite, but try to keep him from being able to run away." The silver haired teen nodded, knowing that the Rain before them was at risk of just taking off instead of facing down three different flame users.

Takeshi seemed about to give in and Tsuna almost sighed in relief at how easy this would be, only for Takeshi to change his intentions at the last second and swing his baseball bat _which turned into a freaking sword._

"No dynamite!"

"We need more cover, Tenth!" they were in a pretty open area at the moment and if they had a thicker band of trees and plants around them, the idiot before them wouldn't be able to swing that thing around so easily.

"Any ideas then?"

Hayato thought, keeping out of reach of Takeshi's newly found blade, while Tsuna tried to edge closer, "There's a spot, I think it's up ahead that would be ideal! We could herd him there!"

"Use dynamite to push him there then! Don't use too many at one time though!" Hayato nodded, already ahead of what Tsuna wanted from him.

While the boys did that, Natsume stood back and watched, trying not to let the gaze that was boring into the back of her head get to her.

"Since when do you know how to manipulate a person's reality?"

She tried to keep her thoughts blank, because Reborn had a habit (and probably a secret ability) of reading minds, "Since I decided I should be able to do that."

Well didn't she sound all prissy now?

A shiver ran down her spine and she chanced a look down at Reborn and almost regretted it, because there was something mildly off about the small hitman. His shadow had stretched, the dim light of the moon barely making it noticeable, he seemed much bigger and so much more dangerous.

She let out a shaky breath, her fingernails digging into the underside of her arms to try and keep her cool (she had a feeling he knew that she was unnerved).

"Hmph," was all the hitman directed at her as he finally looked away and decided to follow the trio that had just taken off. He stopped a couple steps away, casting one last look at the teen behind him, "Don't trust so easily kid, sometimes a person's good will, turns out to be for the worst."

He had learned that a long time ago and though he had chosen to forget certain things about his past, there was still that angry side of him that regretted falling for a ploy.

"The sweetest offers are usually the most bitter."

_Intermission 6_

_I would have thought that training these two would have been much harder than Dino had been – they were civilian-born and bred, never truly having to deal with the lifestyle that previous members of their family had once been involved in._

_Unlike Dino, who purposely dug his heels into the ground and tried his best to_ not _go down the road that his birth had chosen for him, these two weren't as unwilling to walk it._

_Perhaps they held out hope for a better successor to be chosen, which was highly unlikely or maybe they found it better to just go along with it. They were of course still very young and the only hardship in life they had faced was the bullying that the other kids did to them._

_It wasn't difficult to see where they struggled and it did take some harsh nudging to make them go along – Tsuna was awkward and clumsy, a little too hopeful and completely unwilling to protect himself, while Natsume was untrusting, too overprotective, and all too willing to take over when her brother found himself floundering._

_They had grown so much in the few months that I've had them and it was all mostly thanks to the unsealing that led them to such growth._

_They had friends, they were much more open and welcoming, and they were even able to get along better with the other students– though some were still a bit hesitant. They were drawing in people whether they wanted to or not and I have a feeling that these two will be something great._

_All I have to do is guide them along and continue pushing them as I have._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to everyone that has commented, kudo'd and bookmarked, you guys are awesome.
> 
> I don't know if I have said so before on here, but I do have a tumblr, sorugao-bandgeek.tumblr.com. Any questions or things you guys would like to ask, I'll be more than willing to answer on there. :)
> 
> Until next time~


	7. Chapter 7

**Word Count:** 8209

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or stuff.**

* * *

_Part 19: The Water Does Not Stir Yet_

When they had all decided to head to the beach, it was thought that it was only going to be them. What ended up happening was _a lot_ more people tagging along.

Which made for a very interesting train ride.

Why everything in their life lately had to be loud, Natsume didn't know, but it seemed her brother didn't mind it and her mother seemed to bask in the noise. The teen couldn't wait for the day she could have her mother's poise and ability to just play off whatever insane act was happening around her, because right now she really wished she could look away from Ryohei, who had managed to get Hayato to do a pull up battle on the holding bars.

Lambo was surprisingly quiet, sitting between her and her mother and snoozing away the train ride, completely out to all the noise (she kind of wished she could do that now, she was exhausted and she regretted expending herself earlier).

Takeshi was on her left, soft snores coming from him and every so often sitting up when the train jostled him awake.

Natsume made a sound in the back of her throat, glancing down at her mother's wrist watch to check the time.

_8:02,_ it would take about another hour to get to where they were going, so perhaps she would take a leaf out of Lambo's and Takeshi's book and take a nap herself.

/ | \

"So how do you feel about everything so far, lil bro?" Dino asked Tsuna, who had finally managed to get Ryohei and Hayato from doing their little competition (Tsuna wondered how Ryohei even managed to get Hayato to go along with this, because Hayato was prickly on the best days and a ticking time bomb on the worst).

"Ah, good?" Tsuna answered, "I think? I don't know actually."

"Eh?" By the looks of things everything seemed fine, so why was Tsuna second guessing himself? "Why do you say that?"

The brunet looked up at him trying to find the words to explain, because there were a lot of things that were good, but also somethings that Tsuna didn't think were for the best.

Like his friends – specifically those that had nothing or knew anything about the Mafia being dragged into it ( _Takeshi came to mind, how he seemed to settle into the constant exposure of his flames that morning, how fighting against Hayato and him came so easily and then there was Reborn's commentary – Natural Born Hitman…_ ).

Tsuna frowned, not noticing the way his hands came up in front of him, "It's just, everything is easy right now, well, no it's not easy, but –" Tsuna trailed off muttering a few words that Dino didn't understand, "How bad does it get, Dino-san?"

The blond hadn't expected for that question to come up so soon, more or less he had been waiting after a skirmish with others, or dealing with a situation that only showed the beginning of what Tsuna was getting dragged into. Dino sighed, putting his arm around Tsuna, noting the way the kid tensed before he relaxed.

The way Tsuna looked at him, eyes expecting honesty, wanting a real answer and not some rubbish that others would try to say _'to not worry about it',_ ' _things like that will be dealt with when the time comes',_ and Dino realized that that was honestly what he was going to say.

He who had grown up in the dark world of the Mafia, who had tried to get away and denounce anything and everything that came from it, had been thrust into countless situations (mostly by Reborn) where he only had himself to rely on because sometimes that's all you had in this life. He who had actually been jealous and almost completely distraught by the way Reborn treated these two – because he had gotten _hell_ , he had gotten the life nearly beat out of him; he had been demeaned and belittled by Reborn.

Dino saw these two kids, civilians – hopeless, a loss, _what the hell was Vongola thinking?_ – but then he talked to them, had dinner with them, spent a couple of days with them and they were a breath of fresh air.

They didn't expect anything out of anyone, they watched out for themselves ( _and the people that they came to care about, he could see it, the other kids that hung around them. Tsuna had such potential to be something great, to be something new and Natsume, well, he was sure she would tear apart anyone that dared hurt what she considered hers)_.

They didn't need to follow any rules or abide by any code because they knew what it was they would stand for.

"It can get pretty bad," Dino admitted his voice low as he felt a certain someone's gaze on him, "As long as you have people who are willing to be there for the worst, you don't have to suffer through it all alone." How many times had his own men been there for him when he was dealing with situations that he thought he couldn't pull through?

"There will come a time Tsuna where you will have to deal with the worst of the worst, until then just keep learning as much as you can and have fun."

/ | \

"To think I thought him cute," Hana huffed, fingers fiddling with the necklace she wore around her neck, the small round green bead at the end appearing much brighter than it should be.

"A huh?" Natsume eyed the jade bead she had gifted her friend for her birthday back in April, "Hana just calm down yeah?"

Natsume could understand why her friend was upset, she had actually been interested in one of the lifeguards that was working and had worked up the nerve to go speak to them. The lifeguard had laughed at her, brushing her off and saying something along the lines that he preferred a real woman with curves and not a girl trying to play at one.

Which, wow, what an asshole.

The teen wouldn't mind listening to her friend rant, but the small flares she was making appear was what was taking Natsume's attention from actually trying to help her friend feel better.

"I mean, just because I don't have boobs and ass the way he wants," Hana looked down at her chest and back up, her nose wrinkled at whatever else crossed her mind, "I'm fine just the way I am…..right?"

Natsume put a hand on her friend's shoulder, really wishing that Kyoko had come along on their walk (which really was more of Natsume walking and kicking her way through the waves and then dragging her feet so that they were coated in sand) instead of staying back and building sandcastles with the kids, " _Mama_ always says that you are beautiful as you are, if someone can't accept that, then they aren't worth it."

Hana finally let go of the necklace, the small green lights fading away and looked down at Natsume, taking her words into consideration. The shorter girl had a point or at least her mother did, but wasn't what she looked like enough? What more could people want, she was mature for her age and she thought she had a nice figure…..ugh, maybe she should just not bother.

"Boys are idiots."

The girl before her nodded, "Yes they are," and before she could add on anything else, there was a loud, almost oddly feminine shout that sounded like Tsuna and all Natsume could do was hang her head, "Are they trying to dunk Tsuna into the water again?"

They hadn't gotten very far from the others and from what Hana could see the boys were in the water, Tsuna on Hayato's shoulders and Ryohei on Takeshi's, "They're playing chicken….Ryohei is trying to get your brother in a headlock."

"Right, so ignoring that, did you want to go to the shops over there or keep going on along here?"

"…You're not worried about Tsuna?"

Natsume looked back over at the water, watching Tsuna slip out of Ryohei's grip and just trying to pull the white haired teen down by leaning back, which led to Hayato stumbling back at the sudden move.

"As long as it's between them it's fine."

She knew Hayato would jump in to help Tsuna and Takeshi would go along, while Ryohei would declare anything that was being 'ill' fought unextreme and try to fix the situation by defending the younger ones (even if it only was by like a year or so).

They had begun walking towards the small shopping area and Natsume was a little happy that she had thought to bring her small bag of change, buying a couple of fake plumeria flower clips and handing one to Hana, who looked at it, one brow raised and looking a little amused.

"I think guys are the ones who do the flower giving Natsume."

Said teen rolled her eyes, holding up her own flower clip (the tips dyed pink while the rest faded to white and then yellow for the very middle) and clipping it just over her right ear, " _Do like this_." Natsume gave Hana a playful smile, biting on the tip of her tongue to keep herself from snickering because of the suffering look the tall brunette gave her.

"Why you insist on speaking like that, I will never know," Hana said to her, smoothing her fingers over the right side of her hair and using the clip to pin back her hair.

"I get it from my _Mama_ ," was all Natsume said.

Hana huffed, stepping ahead and leading them towards one of the booths that was selling colorful pieces of sea glass, along with a couple other crystals that Hana couldn't name, but knew her friend wore often.

"Look Natsume," Hana pointed towards some of the longer, more rounded crystals, knowing her friend had an interest in such things.

"Ooohh, wands," Natsume hummed, greeting the woman who ran the booth. Her eye was instantly got by a yellowish-red wand, her fingers hovering just above it as she paused in reaching for it, before picking it up. The 'wand' was longer than her middle finger, the weight of it felt comfortable in her hand and she had the sudden urge to want to buy it (if only so she could have something physical to use, instead of continuing to create from her own flames).

But she knew she couldn't, Kawahira had a few of his own in the shop and he didn't sell those to her, always saying that she wasn't ready or she had to learn the right way first before she picked up anything that could help her ( _seriously he liked watching her struggle_ , _everything would be so much easier if she had a crystal piece or wooden staff that she could use, instead of constantly creating her own, which oddly had been taking on after the moon stick.)_

She set it back down and was about to pick up another piece when Hana held up a copper ring with a small, triangle cut gray stone set into it, "This is something I don't have," Natsume murmured as she took the ring from Hana and slipped it onto her left hand's middle finger.

"Well now you do."

Natsume who had been admiring the way the ring looked on her finger looked up, about to protest that she shouldn't have, but Hana shook her head, mouth slightly pursed as she crossed her arms beneath her chest, "Already paid for it."

"But I didn't see you do that!"

The brunette tried to suppress a snort, but sort of failed, "You were too busy admiring that other piece," Hana informed her, nodding at the owner and maker of the jewelry and pulling Natsume along with her, who hastily called out a _'have a good day_ ' over her shoulder.

"You really shouldn't have Hana," and really, Hana knew she didn't have too, but she had wanted to, something deep within her telling her to at least thank the girl for being there – even if sometimes she didn't have a clue on how to handle certain situations ( _like that one time Kyoko was upset with Ryohei over going overboard in his boxing club and Natsume had suggested to just 'get down' with him, forgetting that Kyoko did not like fighting or when Hana was trying to figure out who that dark haired cutie was and thought she was wasting her time trying to find him._ )

Or at least that's what she decided it was, because why on _earth_ would she want to impress and get Natsume's attention – Hana liked men, not girls, so why _oh_ _why_ were there times where she felt like doing something stupid just to get Natsume's (and sometimes Tsuna's) attention?

"We should head back, we've been gone for a while now," Natsume suggested, lips still pursed and seeming just a little unamused with Hana because she really shouldn't have. The teen fiddled with the ring around her finger, before sighing and lightly elbowing Hana's side, "Thank you though."

Hana tried not to smirk, so she stuck her nose up, "You can be so difficult sometimes."

"I am learning to appreciate!" Especially after all the years other kids had used the gifting method to either lure or try to make them look stupid in front of others (which was terrible and poor Tsuna was always a real mess after those, holding in his tears and disappointment until they got home, and she was so happy and yet so very angry that she now understood _why_ everything that they had gone through happened.)

"Good, but if you say –"

"But seriously you shouldn't have~" Natsume almost cackled at the sound Hana made, who tried to sound disgusted, but kind of laughed midway (because really she would) and snorted instead. Natsume stopped, looking a little too gleeful with her mouth a little open and didn't know whether she should just laugh right there and then or run and laugh. "Miss piggy, piggy-"

" _Agh!"_

Running and laughing it was.

/ | \

The day was ended with a bonfire that had everyone sitting around, holding out marshmallows over it to make the s'mores Nana had suggested.

"Fluffy _angelitos_ ," Lambo called them as he stuck two in his mouth, chewing happily as he waited for his _ane_ to make his s'more. " _Ane_ are you going to get one too?"

"Probably not," she liked sweet things, but she wasn't a big fan of marshmallows, there was just something weird about eating the soft little pillows of sugar (that and cotton candy).

"Natsume no like?" I-pin asked, sitting beside Lambo and calmly waiting for Haru to put together her treat as Natsume shook her head negatively.

There was a ruckus on the opposite side, Dino's laughter being the loudest as Tsuna whined over something Reborn probably did.

There was a soft strumming of an instrument from faraway, the night life of those who lived near the beach coming about as the visitors of the day began to leave. A light breeze blew by and the scent of the ocean strong along with the smell of sun and salt wafted through.

"Okay, be careful, it's hot," she warned Lambo, finally pulling out his marshmallow and sticking it between his prepared graham crackers and chocolate piece. The afro haired kid thanked the girl he had begun to see as his big sister, nibbling on the end of the marshmallow that stuck out before taking a bite of his treat.

He hummed in satisfaction, turning to I-pin to see how she liked it as well and the two began chattering on how good it was, before Lambo began to say that Natsume's tasted better, while I-pin said otherwise, that they were the same.

Haru and Natsume shared a look, the brunette giggling at the children's antics, while Natsume sighed and let them bicker.

"Children, play nice," Nana intoned from where she sat beside Bianchi, making sure Hayato wasn't feeling too under the weather when the teen made an odd choking sound as soon as Bianchi returned from wherever she had gone, smelling both bitter and sweet and looking entirely too pleased with herself.

Nana choose not to comment on it, instead she resumed her gazing of the night sky, trying to find the star figures Uncle Toyo would often point out to her.

"Looking for anything tonight Nana?"

The woman shook her head at Reborn's use of her name ( _one day he would call her Auntie_ , _and he wouldn't have to be embarrassed about referring to her as such_ ), "Just looking over the _N_ _ā_ _Mohoe,_ but really I'm just trying to find _H_ _ō_ _k_ _ū_ _pa'a,_ I always get it confused with _H_ _ō_ _k_ _ū_ _le'a_ ," the woman mused to him, not seeing the blank look on the hitman's face.

"The cup end of the big dipper points to _Hōkūpa'a,_ _Mama,"_ Tsuna pointed out to his mother, while the others who hadn't understood seemed to try to figure out what the names Nana had said meant. Nana smiled sweetly at her son, her attention was always drawn by the brighter star that was _Hōkūle'a_ , so she always assumed that that was the fixed point of the sky.

"Oh Tsu-kun, just like your _Papa_ helping me find my stars."

Natsume caught the semi-disgusted look that Tsuna sported at being likened to his father ( _she didn't know_ what _Tsuna was starting to feel towards their Papa, she couldn't exactly relate, but she could sort of understand_ ) and she was glad her mother hadn't noticed it.

"Is that why you gave Tsuna-san his name?" Haru asked, curious to know.

Nana took a quick glance at Tsuna, who looked a little interested to know why exactly he had been given his name, "My husband's family has a bit of a tradition of naming their own after the Tokugawa Shogunate," Nana paused a little, looking over Tsuna to see if he was alright after he had made an odd sound and brushed Natsume's sudden laughter off. "I don't know why, but it was kind of fitting especially after what my name means as well."

"I'm surprised Natsume isn't named Chiyo," Reborn spoke up, finding Tsuna's name oddly fitting for what he was to become, but it also brought forth questions about _why_ Primo (because who else?) started the tradition.

"Iemitsu had suggested it actually, but I had really liked Natsume and he really couldn't convince me otherwise."

"Thank you _Mama_ , for saving me from tradition, I'm happy to have broken it."

Nana gave her a funny look, while Tsuna seemed to be muttering something about Tomiko and Saigo-baasan. Dino seemed to be very interested and would later (slightly) regret looking up those names, while Reborn finally seemed to realize what kind of family he seemed to have come upon.

He really was going to have a word with Iemitsu, the least the man could have said was that they were related to the two women that were but mere whispers now, but had been a huge topic (especially after Saigo had gone off and gotten herself killed in a Cloud induced rage) back in the day.

It made Reborn curious to know how Iemitsu was brought into the Mafia, especially since he knew that one Sawada Tomiko had retired after a short stint of assassination work (who had also seemed to have made friends with one Daniela of Vongola – _oh_ , well he could probably figure it out now).

And to think that he honestly though the Sawada children just so happened to be related to Primo, it seemed running amok in the Underworld was a family tradition as well (as unwilling as it seemed to be on the twins behalf).

_Part 20: Fall Brings New Faces_

It was mid-August when classes began again and there was a shift in the air that left both Natsume and Tsuna feeling uncomfortable. Even when the heat was high, Natsume wore her school sweater, while Tsuna seemed to try to do things to put the feeling aside.

To the point he dragged Lambo and I-pin to the park every other day, joining in on their games and immersing himself in their laughter and _almost_ forgetting the sensation of _something is coming, watch out, be careful, dangerous_.

It was almost September when the feeling became unbearable and then the rumors of one of the soccer players being jumped and having his teeth pulled out began to go around. The following day it was two more, both from the Kendo club, sporting the same bruises and missing teeth as the first teen.

It was sickening to think that someone was specifically targeting the people in athletics, until another couple of guys – this time from the Disciplinary Committee were found just outside school grounds, under the same condition as the others.

"I don't mind waiting for you Tsume," Tsuna told his sister as he walked along with her to the gym, "I just want to make sure you get home safe."

"You don't have to do that," she said as she stopped just outside the girl's changing rooms, turning to her brother who looked slightly worried. She clucked her tongue at him, "I'll ask Takeshi or Ryohei if it makes you feel better."

"Will you really?"

There was always the chance that she would say she would do that and not go through with it. Knowing his sister, who preferred to handle whatever came her way on her own (and would probably be able too) he shouldn't worry – but he couldn't help feel that something wasn't right. That this was more than just another school outright hurting their fellow students, he just wasn't sure.

" _Yes_ , Tsuna, I will," she held up her pinky to him, "Promise."

He latched his pink with hers, his lips still pursed and brow furrowed, "Better, or else."

"Hmph, go on, I'm pretty sure Reborn's waiting for you," she used her chin to point in the direction where she could see the small blurry figure of the hitman. "Go on now," she made a shooing gesture with her hand, her brother rolling his eyes at her.

"See you then."

Both turned to get to what was waiting for them, Tsuna was about to find out what exactly was happening from Reborn, while Natsume was going to put in more work to actually be a team player, even though she was sure she had proven herself during sports day.

When the two hours of practice were over and she had cleaned up and gotten changed into street clothing, she left the gym, searching out for either Takeshi or Ryohei who should be somewhere around. She was near the room the boxing club used for their meetings and practices when she came across a blond boy wearing a Kokuyo uniform.

The teen had noticed her, looking away with a sneer before turning back to her and giving her a closer look. His eyes lit up as he seemed to recognize her and a cruel smile twisted his the ends of his mouth.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to be Sawada Natsume would you?"

She tried not to show any emotion, keeping a rather bland expression to show that he hadn't caught her offguard, "And if I am?"

He gave her a toothy grin, hands coming from out of his jackets pocket and she noted his sharp, almost claw like nails, how his stance seemed to tense up as if he was about to throw himself at her at any second.

"You'd more fun to play with than that Sasagawa guy," the scar that ran across his nose, pulled oddly as his smile twisted, his eyes were wild and Natsume could feel her senses prickle, head tilting to the side as the blond lunged forward, his fist missing her head.

"I'm sure you'd prefer a more straightforward fight," she spoke, bringing her arm up and blocking the wild teen's other swing with her forearm, "But you've already made one mistake."

"Che, and what would that be stupid girl?" the blond sneered, making a grab for her since she didn't bother pushing him away or stepping out of his reach. He didn't notice the bland smile he was given, more focused on the fact that he couldn't move.

"All it takes is one touch sometimes," she murmured lowly, stepping away from him, head titling slightly in curiosity as she took in his struggles to make his body move, not at all caring how wide his eyes got, or the blind panic that began to emit from the teen ( _tied down was the worst, they would get him, do what they want, he needed to move, to be free, but his body, he couldn't move, nonono)._ "Leave already, do not come back here again."

The teen blinked and then nodded slowly, the fear that had clouded his eyes fading away in lieu of what he had been told. He turned on the ball of his foot, making his way off Nami-chuu's grounds and back to wherever he was staying.

Once she couldn't see him, Natsume let out a breath, bringing her hand up to her stinging cheek. She hadn't expected him to move when he did and had barely been able to dodge, though she had made it seem like he hadn't hurt her. Pulling back her hand, she noted the blood and uttered a soft 'dammit'.

"Yo, Natsume – hey what happened to your cheek?"

"Senpai," the girl greeted, wiping her slightly bloody fingers against her black jeans, "Someone was looking for you and got interested in me instead."

Ryohei frowned, leaning down a little closer to the girl to inspect the slash marks on her cheek. He didn't grab her, but did mtion behind him to the training room, "We have a first aid kit," he told the girl, who nodded and followed him in. He found the small white box in the manager's office, motioning for the hazel eyed girl to take a seat on one of the few benches.

It was quiet between them as he rummaged through the box, pulling out some tape, a piece of white gauze, a wipe and a small bottle of what she assumed was hydrogen peroxide.

"This might sting a little," Ryohei warned her as he wet the wipe with the peroxide and squeezed it over her cuts; not at all surprised when she grimaced ( _it seemed there was more than just being an obvious weapon to the blond's nails_ ). He let the mixture fizzle out, before he wiped it down with another wipe and holding out the thin gauze to her "Hold this while I tape it down," she did and he placed two pieces of tapes so it would hold, "And there almost good as new."

"Almost," she half smiled at him, waiting for him as he put the box away. "I feel like I should tell Hibari-san about this, but I don't know where to find him."

The third year thought about his fellow classmate, scratching his cheek as he wondered where they could find the Prefect, "He'll show up," eventually, Hibari had that habit, at least Ryohei thought he did, "Anyway did you even know the guy that did this to you?"

Natsume shook her head, "No, I didn't even get his name or anything, but he seemed to have recognized me from somewhere."

Ryohei's frowned deepened, not at all liking the idea that not only someone was taking down students from the sports clubs, but had an idea of who was who.

"I'll walk you home, if you don't mind."

"Eh, I don't, Tsuna actually wanted me to ask you if you wouldn't mind doing so."

"What a good brother you have, Natsume!" Ryohei cheered, almost clapping the girl on the back, but realized quickly that she wasn't one of his teammates and didn't want to send her to the floor. So he just did what he usually did to Kyoko and he ruffled her hair instead, the face she made had him laughing, and knowing (and seeing constantly because Takeshi did find it amusing to use his height against both twin's) he evaded the fist that would have dug into his side.

He was sure she would have said something, only for a certain Prefect to appear (just as Ryohei had predicted he would) just outside of the school grounds.

"Herbivore's," the prefect greeted the two and wondered if the teen had a creepy sixth sense or something, because really he always appeared out of nowhere, either after a fight or just before one started.

"Yo, Hibari!" Ryohei greeted as brightly as ever, ignoring the glare that was directed at him.

"Hibari-san," Natsume intoned, though less enthusiastic as Ryohei. When the prefect's gaze slid over to her, she held her gaze, "There was a Kokuyo student here, looking for a fight, probably has had something to do with what's been going on lately."

Hibari barely raised a brow, mulling over both the girl's words and the bandage on her cheek, "He was blond, with a scar across the bridge of his nose," her lips tilted down, nose wrinkling at the action, "I think he's looking for specific people," she gestured to Sasagawa beside her, "He was looking for Ryohei but as soon as he noticed who I was, he changed plans."

( _It was a teen with an odd laugh, with a flair for dramatics_ , _and a want to bring down the Mafia. He had people who were more than puppets to him and she wondered how much more right Jasmine was going to be about people and the situations that were coming upon them_ )

"I think it has something to do with pineapples, but not the fruit?"

She honestly would have loved to laugh at Ryohei's double take, but the situation was much too serious at the moment for her to happily indulge. Hibari seemed to be between literally knocking some sense into her and walking away.

"It's after school hours, go home," was all the prefect told them as he turned on the ball of his foot and headed towards the school.

"Pineapples?"

Natsume tried to brush off Ryohei's inquiring look and began to walk in the direction of her home, "Oi, wait up!" the boxer called out, running after her, deciding not to further push the matter. "So how was practice, Kyoko said you were trying out for the volleyball team."

She looked a little relieved to have the subject changed, it seemed whatever she had been thinking about was at least pushed back in favor to answer his question.

Good, he didn't like seeing people worrying or being bothered by things, especially if it had something silly to do with pineapples and bullies.

/ | \

"What happened to your face?" was the first thing Tsuna asked after thanking Ryohei and bidding the older teen goodbye as he made for his own house, which was just two blocks away from theirs.

Natsume didn't answer right away, instead taking off her shoes and setting them beside her boots. Straightening up she put an arm around her brother's shoulder, calling out to her mother in greeting before she led the two of them upstairs.

She went into her brother's room, shutting the door behind her, and finally looked up at her brother who didn't look at all impressed with her, "Tsume –"

"I think I may have run into the person who has been attacking students," she had expected her brother to freak out, not for him to literally turn grey. Reborn who had been dazing away in his hammock was up and motioning for her to sit beside the bed, where he now sat atop of, pulling the tape and gauze of her face so he could look at the cuts on her cheek. "They're just cuts, Ryohei helped in disinfecting them –" she hissed when Reborn pressed his fingers against her cheek, she felt the warmth that came from his fingertips, but absolutely hated the prickling pain that came along with it. " _That hurts_."

Reborn clucked his tongue at her, pulling his hand back, dark eyes taking in the newly healed flesh, "The cuts were poisoned," he told her. The dark haired babe turned to Tsuna, "The papers I was showing you earlier bring them."

"But –"

"Now Tsuna."

Tsuna got up from where he had sat himself, going over to the desk he had gotten a couple weeks ago and pulling out a folder which he brought and handed to Reborn.

"I received a letter from Nono a few days before the attacks started happening," the hitman began, pulling out a few papers and flicking through them to make sure they were all there before he handed them to Natsume. "There was an escape from one of the Mafia prisons and I was told to keep an ear out if I heard anything about them."

Reborn watched Natsume look through the papers, which were filled with pictures of the escaped convicts and noted how she paused over the picture of a scarred blond, "Ken Joshima," she read his name, "He was looking for Ryohei when I ran into him," she said softly, "He noticed who I was even though I had no clue who he was."

That was scary, especially if the kid she was reading up on was supposed to be held somewhere in Italy and was now in Japan.

Tsuna seemed about to say something when their mother's voice called up to him, he headed out to see what she wanted, feeling disgruntled as he went because something wasn't right and now he was finding out his sister had been attacked and had just managed to avoid being left like the others.

"What did you do to him, Natsume?"

She blinked up at Reborn, whose aura had changed into something much more dangerous. Her skin prickled and she tried leaning back to at least get away from the weight that had settled around them, but finding that she couldn't get away.

"I told him to leave," she managed to whisper out, eyes a little wide as she couldn't look away, because she had never seen this side of Reborn ( _there was a promise of death, and it was suffocating and terrifying. There was a ringing shot and…_ ). "I - he won't be coming back."

Reborn kept himself from sneering down at the girl, instead looking away and running a hand through his hair, "People don't just listen so –"

" _No_ ," there was change in her voice and he looked back, surprised to see her eyes amber and her pupils slitted and indigo in color, "I told him to leave and not come back, he will listen," and though there were tears in her eyes from being frightened from his flare of anger ( _because the criminals were here snooping around Namimori, they had attacked one of his charges and what the hell was Vongola doing that they let them get so far?_ ) there was a knowing there and she was so sure that she was right.

He clamped down on his annoyance (he wasn't angry, he was annoyed and sometimes people died because they annoyed him), knowing that it was unsettling the girl before him.

"Are you sure?" because really no one just _listened_ so easily and though Natsume could be a force to be reckoned with when she put her mind to it, she was still just a teenage girl.

Natsume pushed herself up, handing the papers back to Reborn who noted that her eyes had cleared and were their usual hazel coloring, "No matter the person there is always a want to be accepted, tis not difficult to twist a person's wants and needs for my own use."

Reborn's brow rose in question, but he let her go instead of needling a proper explanation out of her. He'd probably understand it sooner or later and if he decided to take her words literally – well, he felt sorry for whoever crossed Natsume.

The door to Tsuna's room opened once more and the brunet didn't seem at all surprised to find his sister gone, instead ushering the child beside him into the room.

"Fuuta de la Stella," Reborn greeted, deciding to sit down on the bed.

The kids eyes flickered, an odd smile crossing his face, "Reborn, World's Greatest Hitman," this made Tsuna huff, arms crossing against his chest.

"He's been doing that," Tsuna said, gesturing for Fuuta to take a seat beside him, "Said he came because I was least likely to refuse a request."

Reborn hummed, his attention still on Fuuta, "Why are you here?"

Fuuta tried to wrap his arms around himself, unknowingly rocking himself back and forth ( _because he was nervous, he had been taken away from his home, he had lost his book, everything he had known was lost and now he was lost and he didn't know what to do_ ), "I lost my ranking book."

Reborn stilled, not looking away from the child that was about seconds away from crying, "How?"

"R-Rokudo Mukur-ro," the child managed out, hands coming up to cover his face, "They have my book but they want me," Fuuta cried, "I don't want to go back to them."

"Oi, oi," Tsuna uttered out, kneeling down and pulling the kid into a hug, letting him cry against his shoulder. Reborn and Tsuna locked eyes, the papers in the hitman's hands becoming crinkled.

"We can't get involved unless we're specifically told too," Reborn said, setting the papers down on the bed and tucking his hands into pants pockets. "This is Vindice's problem and they should be the ones to have this all sorted out."

Fuuta sniffled, pulling away from Tsuna's hold, his teary gaze focusing on Reborn, "T-they want the Vongola Decimo," the kid stuttered out, "They have my rankings and everything that has to do with Namimori – from the best food places to the strongest people – they have an idea of who to go after."

Well, fuck.

Reborn jumped down from the bed, walking past the two brunets', "You should tell your mother that we'll be having a guest for a while." And he made his way out.

He had a call to make and he hoped to whatever God was out there, that nothing too terrible came of it.

_Intermission 7_

_I snuck out that night._

_I couldn't sleep and I found myself wondering Namimori – I was careful, I had learned after the first few attempts of sneaking out how to hide myself and make sure I wouldn't be caught. It was too easy to leave behind a clone that would last about as long as I would be out and there was always a charged clear quartz that I would leave beneath my pillow to keep the illusion up._

_It was easy to avoid the night life and now after the lessons I had sat through, it wasn't hard to pick up on what the few stragglers were up too – there movements and motives, were easy to read, Reborn's favorite game of 'people watching' coming to mind as I made my way past these people._

_Namimori was not the peaceful town I had always thought it to be – it was a place for retired Mafioso, for people who wanted to get away and start over – Namimori was accepting and willing to take in these people so long as they kept to the peace._

_I had half a mind of heading to Kawahira's shop, bothering the old man and maybe have a cup of tea and ask him if he knew anything about what was happening around. The idea was quickly thrown away, I knew Kawahira (at least from what he let me know) and he was a bit of a recluse, had a dislike for people and only bothered when it mattered._

_Which always made me wonder why he was curious about me – of all people that had come into his shop, his curiosity was peaked because of what he was unable to sense or could it be because of what he was able to sense?_

_He always said he was curious to see how I managed to function while sealed, I haven't asked if he's found his answer, but sometimes I catch him looking at me, searching and trying to figure out something._

_Other times he looks at me and it's as if he pities me, but why?_

_I'm a fourteen year old girl, with a good family and some rather odd friends._

_I decided to put this aside for now and focus myself on my surroundings. The buildings around me are older and more set apart, the nature center is coming up and though the signs say not to travel the paths at night, I ignore and head down them, taking a left at the first fork that would lead me closer to the mountains._

_As I get closer to where the path slopes down, I can sense something pulling and calling to me – I don't realize it but I'm smiling and I follow the lure that pulls me in. I veer off the path, careful when I push through the overgrowth of the forest._

_A sigh of relief escapes me once I step into a ring that had been unnaturally formed, that had cleared away a lot of the vegetation and though the area looks like it had been torched, there's a peace that clings to it instead of loss._

_I walk to the middle where I sit and recline back, staring up at the open space and soaking in the soft light of the moon. I close my eyes and breathe in deeply, I exhale and breathe out slowly and I just lay there._

_I don't really know how long I was there – minutes, hours – but I was there long enough to at least make up for the times I won't be able to come back._

"Darkness may come, but as long as there is light, it can be overcome," _I murmured and I know I must look like an idiot with the way I'm smiling and I'm kind of sad Tsuna isn't here to pick up on the reference, but just thinking about the coming situation like that, it doesn't seem as daunting._

/ | \

Reborn got a call back days later after there had been a lull in the attacks.

By that afternoon, there had been four different attacks and Ryohei had gotten caught up in the last one.

Standing outside the white haired teen's hospital room, Reborn glared down at his cell, snapping it shut and shoving it into his pocket. Escaped convicts and even though most of them were mostly teens they were skilled murderers and had been put away in Vindice for a reason.

And here Nono wanted to use this as a test for Tsuna.

He wondered if Iemitsu had an idea of what was happening, considering from what he had known about the man and how his family thought of him, he probably would have protested – distant he may be from his family, but he cared for them, stayed alive and tried his best for them. He had kept them safe all these years and now all was going to hell.

Or maybe this was a way for both Iemitsu and Nono to see how much Tsunayoshi had grown in the year that he had been with them. Kind of fucked up, but that was the reality of the world they were being dragged into.

His thoughts were interrupted by a finger poking his forehead and he looked up to glare unamusedly at Natsume, who held up her hands, "You're going to set me on fire if you keep looking at me like that."

Reborn was about to retort when another idea came to him, "How good are you at sneaking around?"

"Uh," the girl blinked down at him, looking mildly embarrassed, "Alright I guess?"

"It's time to test your skills then," though Natsume hadn't joined in the last couple weekends for the group training, he knew she didn't need much compared to the boys – whoever was instructing her was good and it was irking him because he couldn't find out _who_ it was nor where it was happening at. "Do you know where Kokuyo Land is?"

She nodded and he continued on, "Go there and check out the place, I don't have anything to –"he was cut off as a swirl of indigo flames appeared in her hands and a butterfly appeared, flapping its wings and landing on his shoulder. A similar one appeared on Natsume's and she gave him a tight lipped smile.

"It's like telephone," she explained, holding out her pointer finger so the mist construct could flap its way on it, "So I hope you're willing to keep my words straight."

"Off with you," Reborn waved her away, about to turn into the room and tell Tsuna to get ready and to call on the other two. He stared at the figure of the retreating teen, watching her disappear around a corner, before he uttered a quiet " _Stay safe."_

" _Of course Reborn~"_

The hitman tugged at his fedora, ignoring the teasing voice that came from the insect on his shoulder and here he thought it wouldn't actually work.

/ | \

Tsuna had left the hospital, with Hayato and Takeshi in tow (Hayato being there to make sure he was 'safe', though Tsuna wondered if that was an excuse and Takeshi who was pretty honest about seeing Ryohei and wishing him well).

Reborn had said he would meet him back at the house, a frown marring the toddler's face when Leon started acting funny.

A tiny meow greeted Tsuna as he and the other two walked into his home, Natsume's cat curling around his legs as he tried to take off his shoes.

"Shoo!" He waved at Emi, the black cat stepping away and giving him a judging look, before slinking over to Takeshi who happily picked up the cat, cradling her in his arms as Natsume was wont to do. "Spoiled," was all Tsuna had to say after calling out a greeting for his mother.

The cat gave him no attention whatsoever, content with trying to bat away Takeshi's fingers. Barely refraining from rolling his eyes, Tsuna led them upstairs where Reborn had said he would meet them.

"Hey, that hurts," he heard Takeshi say, Hayato scoffing and telling him that that's what he deserved for bothering the evil feline. "Emi isn't evil," Takeshi held the cat at arm's length, receiving a fairly unamused look from the feline, "Right?"

The black cats tailed flicked side to side, its ears twitching back and almost flattening against its head before they perked up again. Almond shaped eyes blinked up at light honeyed ones and Takeshi felt a chill run up his spine.

He coughed, setting the cat down once they reached the second level, where it strutted off back to its owner's room. He wiped his hands down his uniform pants, eying the cat before heading toward Tsuna's room.

"Tch, what was that baseball head?"

"Do you think animal's take on after their owners?"

Hayato raised a brow, actually turning and giving the baseball player a questioning look, "It's possible, why?"

Takeshi chuckled as he sat down around the small table they usually used to do homework on, "Oh, it just felt like Natsume was glaring at me for a second." It also took him back to the one and only time Natsume had joined in for a mock battle session and _why_ exactly the twin's had a supposed tutor like the baby.

"The cat is evil Takeshi, not my sister," Tsuna piped up from where he stood, searching through his closet for clothes to change into. "Hayato do you want your spare clothes?"

"No, I'm good."

"Cool, well since Reborn isn't here yet I'm going to change, Takeshi did you want –" The baseball player held up his duffle bag and Tsuna nodded, going to the restroom to change instead of doing so in his room.

Meanwhile Reborn watched the teen's from his perch on the tree, a butterfly flapping its wings about him before it landed against his ear.

" _Those two twins are skulking around, it's kind of creepy."_

"Don't confront them; just try to find where they're all staying."

A quiet hum was heard, " _'kay."_

He was about to enter Tsuna's room once the young brunet walked back in when Natsume's voice spoke once more, " _Didn't Fuuta go out with Mama today?_ "

Reborn breathed, already having an idea of what the girl was planning on doing (because even though she was felt kind of weird around Fuuta, he was still a kid - a tiny, cute kid _and why did these guys take him from her home?_ )

"Don't do anything Natsume."

There was a scoff that came over, the butterfly seeming to want to cease to exist, " _Birds follow the birds Reborn."_

And the butterfly flickered away.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: There was a Harry Potter and a Sailor Moon reference this time around, anywho, I have been trying to do the update once a week, but its at that point in the semester where there are exams, recitals, and concerts (oh my) coming up at school so forgive me. Also I always feel like I was supposed to say something important but again I have forgotten.
> 
> Star names: Nā Mohoe is The Twins (Gemini). Hōkūpa'a is the Fixed Star (North Star), Hōkūle'a is Arcturus. I probably messed up this section and I tried to make sense of it and that's probs the best I can do.
> 
> Until next time! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Cause I was amused the whole time, up until Ken showed up, then I was pretty much Reborn and kind of upset cause I don't want to do this but its gonna happen.
> 
> Sorugao


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.**

**Word Count:** 7748

* * *

_Intermission 8_

_“There will come a time where you will know more about me, but until then I want you to become strong,” Kawahira began after ending a lesson with Natsume, accompanying the girl home seeing as it had been rather late._

_The fair haired brunette beside him side eyed him, a brow raising in question. He brought a hand out from his yukata’s sleeves, a fan appearing in his hand before he flicked it open, using it to fan himself, “You will have to rise above what others expect of you, you will have to lie about what you are capable of until the time comes where you must show your hand.”_

_“Why?”_

_His gaze was steely when he glanced down at her and Kawahira thought about the dwindling power, about the need for stronger people and perhaps having a hand in raising one of those people, before he pushed it aside, “You are a Mist, Natsume, you are already expected to hide and coyly keep to yourself, secondly you are a female in a world that has constantly been dominated by males, you will constantly be looked over no matter what.”_

_Here the girl frowned, “But –“_

_“Your brother is coming into himself is he not?”_

_“…I suppose.”_

_“Learn to hold back, you know you cannot always be there for him.”_

_The pair stopped a block away from Natsume’s home, the girl looking thoughtful with her brows pulled forward, lips tilted down._

_Kawahira snapped his fan shut, using it to tap his student’s head, “Don’t look so glum….”_

_“I – what about Reborn?”_

_The white haired man gave her a knowing smile, his plum eyes twinkling with mirth, “Do not worry about him, you go on and do as you have been for the last year.”_

_The girl’s shoulders seemed to sag down an exasperated look on her face, “He’s so nosy, I’ve seen him trying to follow –“ He smacked her a little harder with his fan the second time around, his other hand coming to her back and pushing her forward._

_“As I have said do not worry, just do as you must – give enough, but not too much, what good would a shadow be if it the focus of the light is too strong?”_

/ | \

She carefully hid within the shadows that the overgrown plant life of Kokuyo Land offered, melting into them as the tall figures with the awkward gait walked after a man, who had birds coming to him every now and then.

Natsume was about to follow them when someone crashing around and pushing their way through the literal mini forest of Kokuyo Land caught her attention. The sounds were coming around where she was milling about and she brought her flames closer to herself, half lidded eyes looking around to see where the person would come through.

She had just finished speaking with Reborn and now she was supposed to wait, but she was sure she would instantly throw that plan out the window when Fuuta’s small figure dashed in front of her, eyes wide and frightened as he tried to get away from whoever was after him.

_“_ Didn’t Fuuta go out with Mama today _?”_

“ _Don’t do anything Natsume_.”

“Birds, follow the birds Reborn.”

The commotion seemed to have caught the old man’s and his minion’s attention, the man making an odd slurping sound as he saw the small boy. He didn’t have to say anything, only pointing the kid out before his minions moved on him, quickly getting to the boy and picking him up so he wouldn’t run off anywhere.

“Now why did you think you’d be able to runaway young Fuuta?” the voice came from a dark skinned man who had scars curling from the right side of his jaw over his cheek, “You know we mean well –“

“No,” Fuuta cried, tears streaming down his friends, legs kicking and doing his best to struggle against his captors, “I don’t want –“

Lancia felt the shift in the air as did the twins and the old man; they looked around trying to find the source. They never got a face, only a burst of flames that sprung from their feet, taking the shape of clawed hands as it wound around them.

A figure stepped forth, one that they could barely make through the transparent hands that covered their eyes.

“Shh, go with her,” the woman spoke and Lancia could barely make out another figure similar in height to her approach and the boy that had been sprung loose, dashed towards her, letting the other figure lead him away.

The sound of crunching leaves faded and all that was left was them and the mysterious woman, who held her arms out and hands open before slowly squeezing shut. The hands that wrapped around them constricted and Lancia could feel the breath being squeezed out of him.

“You will do well to forget this,” Natsume spoke over the groans of the men, who tried to scramble away from her hold, but she had dealt with Kawahira and Wonomichi (who was just as slippery as her teacher when he wanted to be). “Of course some of you can’t continue on.”

Was all Lancia heard before he blacked out, remembered the calming warmth that came over him, crooning at him to submit and forget, to relax and just be. Birds felt a similar feeling, calming and relaxing, but there was a warning there, that made him tremble and question himself before he succumbed to the darkness.

The twins tried their best to escape, scrambling against the hands that continued to squeeze them, trying to ignore the call that demanded for them to submit.

“Death comes to us all,” Natsume spoke as a phantom pain of a bullet piercing her skull came about, she ignored it, instead focusing on tightening her flames around the twins, a sick feeling twisting in her stomach as their movements became less frantic and more sluggish. “It just seems to have caught up with you two much sooner than expected.”

There was a snapping sound as she clenched her fist tightly, her flames reacting to the movement and squeezing the remaining life out of the twins, while the other opened up slowly and let the other two men fall to the floor.

It was quiet for a while as she stared at the bodies that she had willingly killed (Fuuta was an odd child, he had the ability to see much more than a normal person should, which made her wary, but he was a _child_ who was supposed to be _safe in her home)._ She could feel her hands shaking as she knelt down before them. She brought her hands up, holding them as if she was about to pray,

“May you find peace in your next life.”

She stared a second longer, before she stood up and left.

It was going to be a long day today; she could feel it in her bones, for now she pushed the guilt and sickness she felt aside. It would be best not to think about it too much at least until she had her own moment of peace and could deal with the nasty emotions that wanted to rise up.

She sighed, her hand coming up to mess with the end of her pony tail and tugging at the strands of hair, all she had to do now was wait.

/ | \

The trio looked up at the gates of Kokuyo Land, Tsuna feeling apprehensive about the whole situation that had been dumped on him. Takeshi didn’t actually know how to feel about what they were about to do, except that he could tell he was nervous (so maybe if he thought he was just having another big game this wouldn’t go so bad?).

Hayato had already smoked through two cigarettes and was lighting his third, when a well-manicured fingers plucked the cancer stick from his mouth, when he turned to yell at whoever had done it he nearly choked on his tongue.

Bianchi was standing there wearing goggles for some odd reason and looking over the three teens, holding Hayato’s lit cigarette between her fingers.

“What are you doing here?” Hayato nearly hissed at his sister, absolutely disliking the fact that she came and went as she pleased, appearing when he least wanted her to.

“I called her here,” Reborn piped up from his perch on Takeshi’s shoulder, looking ahead at the park and trying to pinpoint the one person he had sent ahead. “I can’t get involved and Bianchi is experienced enough to be able to help you three.”

“But Reborn-san!”

“Smoking Bomb Hayato you may be, you are still green,” the hitman quickly shut down the silver haired teen, who didn’t seem too happy to have that shoved into his face. The hot headed teen had calmed down some since coming to Namimori, but he could be riled up and would probably lash out before actually thinking about what he was doing.

Reborn wouldn’t fault him for that, even if Hayato had learned some on the weekend training sessions that he had with Tsuna and now Takeshi, dire situations often made people fall back on what they knew best.

Which was why Bianchi was here as back up and to make sure nothing went too bad.

“The objective is to subdue Mukuro,” Reborn told them once more, jumping down from Tsuna’s shoulder and landing on the floor. “There’s a big chance we may run into the people he has working for him, so be prepared to fight and remember anything goes.”

The hitman turned to look at Tsuna, “Leon is indisposed at the moment, and you know what you have to do in case you need to call on your flames?”

Tsuna nodded, brown eyes speckled with amber showing that he was already concentrating on pulling on his flames.

“Everyone ready?”

He got various nods and he turned to lead them in.

There was the sense of someone watching them once they started walking through the abandoned park, following the yellow birds that passed overhead every so often.  Reborn resisted the urge to tug his fedora down, instead letting himself fall behind Tsuna as the boy took the lead and began to lead the others.

The brunet’s intuition was kicking in now, guiding him through the park and picking up the obvious clues that the path they were on had been constantly used.

A loud chirping sound came up ahead, followed by a disturbed giggle, when the group came upon an old man with a bucket hat. Tsuna couldn’t help the chills (and disgust) that crawled over his skin when the man caught sight of them.

“Seems like my boys went out, but I’m sure we can still have fun right?” the old man said to them an odd glint to his eye.

Reborn didn’t move, instead watching and figuring various different ways to dispose of the man before him, he may have an answer on how to do it, but what would Tsuna do?

He watched and he was completely unsurprised when said boy decided to just stand there and stare at the man, who just continued on giving them that creepy smile.

“Oh yes,” Birds made a slurping sound, lifting his hands up and to the air, “My babies can work just as well.”

The odd chirping they had heard earlier seemed to have multiplied, a literal cloud of yellow birds coming from the trees and surrounding them, something small held in their claws (and still from the crowd one or two always pulled away, flying further into the park, another coming back to replace it).

Reborn watched as Takeshi settled himself by Tsuna’s left, saw how Hayato kept a little behind on Tsuna’s right. Reborn noted the tension in Tsuna’s shoulders, could feel the boy preparing to defend when the man gave the signal.

“I would have loved to play a game,” Birds smiled, hands slowly coming down to his sides, “But –“ The old man sputtered, blood dribbling down from the corners of his mouth.

“Che, you talk too much old man, how about ya take a nap instead?” A voice spoke up, the man fell forward, the chirping of the bird’s ceasing, before it came back full force in a high screeches. There was blond hair, with a scar running across the bridge of his nose before he was covered in feathers.

There was a buildup of power as the literal mass of yellow fluff swarmed the teen before they exploded back and the teen was eyeing them as if they were next.

Tsuna breathed in deeply, eyes a little wide.

Weren’t these people supposed to be working together, so why did he do that to his own comrade?

“You have to learn that there are some people in this world who live by using each other,” Reborn commented not at all surprised about what happened. “Joshima Ken, the same one who attacked your sister Tsuna – what are you going to do?”

Ken pulled something out of his mouth, switching it out with another set of teeth? There was a change in the air around the teen and he didn’t give warning when he charged the three.

“Hayato distraction! Takeshi get ready!” Tsuna called, bringing up his arms, palms held out in front of him. The fast moving figure was upon them and Tsuna tried to keep track but wasn’t until his vision seemed to shift, that he was able to actually see.

Hayato’s dynamite missed the teen, but Takeshi’s swing clipped his shoulder followed by an odd crunch. The blond swiped at Tsuna, who grabbed at his wrists, brown eyes turning a brilliant gold color ( _and remember Tuna-fish if someone comes at you and your able to grab them, twist your body like so, make sure which direction you’re throwing them down at and make sure that leg comes out so you can stay balanced)_ his father’s voice was clear in that moment and he followed the instructions, throwing down the blond to his left and bringing down his knee into the teen’s stomach.

Ken was thrown off, not expecting the short one to take him down, and he was quickly moving trying to regain his balance. The knee to his stomach didn’t do anything, the brunet hadn’t done it with any force and so he was easy to throw off.

The teen sneered at them, rolling backwards and shifting into a crouch as he prepared for his next attack.

“You won’t get past me!”

Reborn couldn’t help but think how pitiful, but he stayed back alongside Bianchi watching as the fight continued on.

_Part 21: We Fight Pitiful Creatures_

A clone had stayed behind with Fuuta as Natsume continued on in the park, making her way towards what she assumed was the hideout for the group they were looking for. It wasn’t hard to slip past the girl who was milling about the picnic area, which made the rest of the walk to what she guessed was the auditorium almost peaceful.

She wasn’t at all surprised to find the place in ruins; she of course had to find another way upstairs due to the staircase being broken down. She went through two rooms before she found one that had a ladder leading up.

Without much thought she climbed the ladder that took her to the second landing near the staircase. Pulling herself up she looked up and down the hallway, before turning around checking the third flight of stairs which were in much better shape than the ones before it.

About to head up, she paused on the first step when she heard a familiar tune playing, completely thrown off that someone would actually have the Namimori Anthem as their ringtone.

_Midori Tanabiku~_

Natsume stepped off the stair, heading down the hallway until she reached the door where the tune was coming from. Putting her hand on the handle and twisting let her know that the door was locked (or jammed), so she let the pad of her thumb rest against the keyhole and let her flames flow through to twist the door mechanism open.

A light ‘click’ sound was made and by adding her weight to the door, she was able to open it. She squinted at the darkness, the hand that wasn’t on the door coming up and casting an odd blue light over the room.

A small yellow bird similar to the ones that had been hanging around the old man Birds flew up to her, circling around her head, chirping out the Namimori Anthem as it flew back around the room landing beside a figure.

“Hibari! Hibari!”

Natsume looked a little harder and noticed that the lump that the bird had landed beside was actually someone’s head, whose eyes had opened at the call of his name.

“Hibari-san,” Natsume called to the upper classman taking small steps towards the shifting prefect, “What are you doing here?”

 Gray eyes merely looked at her, before turning their attention downward as the prefect pushed himself up, making sure to grab his tonfas which had been laying on the floor.

“Sawada -“the prefect uttered once he straightened up, which made the dark haired teen wince, though he tried to hide it. “Namimori students are not –“

“The baby sent me,” she interrupted the prefect, having a feeling that he was about to make up a rule about students not interfering with whatever was going on (even if she had been dragged into it by outside sources, _Thanks Timoteo_.)

The prefect only stared at her and she noted the way the corner of his right eye twitched, how his hands clamped down on the handles of his tonfas, before he held himself back.

Huh, that was weird.

Perhaps he understood the situation after having been dealt his own beating, not that she would mention that (she didn’t want to become Hibari’s next punching bag).

“These are actual dangerous criminals, Hibari-san,” she told him, stepping back and gesturing towards the door. When the prefect moved forward, she walked beside him and when the two made it outside the room she noted just how fucked up the teen actually was, “They aren’t like the rag-tag Yakuza around here, they’re –“

“Save it –“

“ _No_ ,” she glared up at him, the look he sent her not at all putting her off, “You didn’t know the situation and look how you ended up, I’m trying to inform you before you decide to make another stupid decision.”

Later on she would fret about why she had done that (and much, much later on she would realize it’s because she was actually worried, because _these fuckers were killers_ and Hibari was just a teenager no matter how strong he was _and secretly she was mentally old enough to be his mother,_ even if it didn’t seem like she was.)

Her sense of danger prickled and she thrust her hand out, creating a clear silver shield that had the yo-yo’s that had been flung at them to deflect back to whoever threw them.

“Yo-yo’s, really?”

Hibari didn’t care, this was a threat that had easily been deflected by Sawada with what seemed to be a similar power to that fool Mukuro.

“I didn’t realize it would be you, Ken said you weren’t much,” the teen shifted in place, scratching at the side of his face that had a bar code on it. “So I guess it would be best to dispose of you both now.”

Natsume gave the beanie wearing teen a toothy smile, the hand she had used to put up the shield coming to reach out for the crystal around her neck.

“I’m sure Ken-chan was a little confused is all,” she demurred, not at all sounding like she was feeling ( _so nervous, she didn’t want to kill again, did she have too? No, no, she didn’t – breath, breath, just do like in lessons with Kawahira, do enough to get him away_ ). Slipping the necklace off, she let the crystal rest in her hand, the chain intertwining between her fingers.

She made a downward flick motion, a jagged bolt of indigo flowing from the tip of the crystal and towards Chikusa who threw himself to the side to avoid it.

“Hibari-san,” the prefect glanced down at the teen, whose attention was still focused on the yo-yo bearing herbivore, “What will I have to do for you to not say anything?”

The dark haired teen blinked, a predatory smirk curling his lips as he looked from the girl to the other, “Show me what you can do Sawada.”

Natsume breathed out slowly, mist flames curling off her figure as she let them loose, slithering down and pooling at her feet before stretching out towards the rest of the room.

“Sad for you yo-yo boy,” Natsume called to Chikusa who eyed the shadow like substance that approached him, “I’ll make sure you don’t remember this.”

Hibari watched as the unknown power spread, connecting with the other’s shadow and curling up his form. It looked as if tiny hands were wrapping around the teen, tightening around his hands and urging for him to let go of his weapons.

Chikusa didn’t know how to breath, he watched the flickering gaze of the girl in front of him (the one Ken had said wasn’t anything), saw the disgust and guilt that crossed her face, before a crooning voice sounded in his mind.

( _Do not resist, just surrender yourself to me, it will not do you well to fight me._ Images of hunched figures, the Bloody Twins were gone, refusing to fall under and fighting against her. _You will not remember, but you will learn not to cross me or my own again._ )

And like Lancia and Birds had done, Chikusa fell to her.

“Hmph, I thought there would be more fight.”

Natsume scoffed turning her gaze from Chikusa’s prone form to Hibari’s slightly hunched one, “Judge me, but if I don’t have to get my hands dirty I won’t.”

And it was better for the prefect to think that she wasn’t capable of fighting in close quarters, because _like hell_ Kawahira would let her get away from staying back ( _Your as much as a Sky as a Mist, manipulate the area to your little hearts content and get on with getting the weaker elements under your spell, save the big moves for those who can stand against you._ )

They stared off, Natsume not at all backing down from Hibari who seemed to have found whatever the hell he was looking for. The prefect nodded and began to head towards the staircase and walking up, not waiting at all for Natsume to follow.

“Oy, don’t just go off on your own,” she called after the prefect who just ignored her, moving up as if he was in perfect health, “You’re injured for fuck’s sake!”

“Cursing is against the rules, Sawada.”

“Fucking fight me Hibari.”

There was a pause, which was then filled by a chuckle, “Let’s see if the little kitten has some more bite first.”

_What? Oh no, no no no no –_ she rushed up the stairs to try to catch up with the injured prefect, only to catch sight of his back as he entered another room. There was a faint sound of laughter, followed by the sound of fighting.

Natsume had barely strode into the room when she saw Hibari hit the floor, completely out while the blue haired teen smirked down at his prone form. Said teen looked up at her, his oddly colored eyes seeming to shine as he took her in.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the young Decimo’s sister,” the teen spoke, dipping his head in her direction, though she could tell from both his intent and his words that he was mocking her. “I’m sure if you’re here the other will follow.”

She didn’t say anything, just calmly approaching him, never once taking her eyes off him, mind thinking on what she could possibly do ( _Rokudo Mukuro, a boy, just a boy, powerful, doesn’t care, will do anything, will try anything._ ) She couldn’t be distracted right now, she had to concentrate and make sure he didn’t slip into her mind.

“I’m kind of happy that I was right about the pineapples,” she said to him, eyes flicking up to  his hair and the odd way it was put up, missing Mukuro’s facial features twitch at the word ‘pineapple’ being directed at him.

“Oh ya, why would you think that would apply to me?”

The sarcastic response she had thought of probably wouldn’t be a good idea to say, at least until she knew what he was truly capable of. Feelings and intent could power through illusions and she had no idea what his anger would do them.

So she gave him a tight smile and shrugged her shoulders, “It seems you know me, but I have no clue who you are.”

The teen – Mukuro, though she obviously didn’t know that, because Mukuro was supposedly the other man with the scars, not this pretty boy – rose a brow, his mouth quirking into an insincere smile, “How rude of me, I am Mukuro Rokudo.”

Natsume nodded at him, hands clasping in front of her, “I would say it is nice to meet you, but it’s obviously not,” he gave her the chills honestly, his eye creeping her out more than the air he tried to put out. That eye was vile and tainted, completely wrong and it had warped the teen before her, taking all the negative feelings he had harbored and letting them rear their ugly head.

She didn’t have to be close to feel it, not when her Sky was figuratively poking at the powerful mist before her and feeling him out.

The two continued to stare at one another, sizing each other up, not at all minding the explosion that sounded off to close for comfort, nor the shouts of various voices accompanying it.

“As interesting as this seems, I’m afraid I have to be rid of you,” a spear with the head of a trident materialized in his hands and she looked on, hands still clasped as she felt his power surge, the odd figure in his right eye changing.

The room around them warped, fire and ash swirling about and as Mukuro waved his trident in her direction the fire followed the course, curling itself in the air before turning on her. She stared it down, gazing at it curiously as she brought her left hand up and held it up, palm facing the oncoming fire.

When the fire hit her palm, it split down the middle, the fire going around her, so she curled her left hand, palm face up towards the ceiling as her right hand came up in a fluid motion the necklace dangling from her wrist as she made a forward pushing gesture.

There was a switch to the fire, where it became water and under her control; the fire that had gone around her curled back and headed back towards Mukuro who looked uncharacteristically gleeful. She could feel herself start to sweat, taking things that others had created and turning them for her own use was always exhausting, she rather much preferred doing what she had done earlier to others simply because it came easier to her.

Then again, the others wills were weak compared to Mukuro’s.

She huffed; stepping forward not at all waiting for Mukuro’s counter as he cut off the illusion by switching the number in his eye once more. The room reverted back to its natural form, but she did not wait for him to move, letting her flames once more pool around her as she moved forward, clones appearing beside her as Mukuro blocked her incoming fist, a laugh escaping him as he caught on to what she was up to.

She looked over her shoulder to see if the one clone she had appear behind did as it was commanded to do and felt relief when she saw that Hibari was out of the way. She leaned back from a swipe, her attention being brought back to the fight at hand, and without another thought the clear crystal in her hand shown, a short staff now in Natsume’s hands with the crystal resting at the tip.

“A little mageling, is that how you view yourself?”

Natsume didn’t say anything, instead she pointed the top end where the crystal sat and like with Chikusa a couple minutes ago, jagged indigo lightning expelled from it. He spun his own, deflecting the attack and managed to bring it up in time to block the downward strike that came after.

He was a little taken back by her strength, but overcame it once her forward momentum was lost and he used his height to push her back. His eye changed again and snakes came from the sleeves of his sweater, wrapping around her wrists and the staff to keep her from making any other movements.

“Kufufu, almost~”

He let the serpents crawl over her body, pushing forth his own intentions to keep her in place. Seeing her still and her eyes widening in realization of her predicament, he laughed again, before he reached out to her and cupped her cheek.

“You would do as a fine replacement in case the young Decimo is not to my liking.”

He felt her shiver from his touch and he was about to tell her that there was no need to fear him, that he took care of those that followed him, only for her to dissolve into a shroud of mist, where it seeped up his arms and urged him to keep his place.

“I’m sure, of course there is no need for that,” the girl spoke from behind the self he had thought he had caught. She stepped underneath his outstretched arm, giving him a small smile as she mimicked him and reached out to cup his own cheek. “Now before the others arrive, will you do me a favor?”

Mukuro narrowed his eyes as he noted how hers became brilliant amber with speckles of indigo, “Let’s keep this our little secret yes?” _You will not speak of this to anyone, unless I say so. I want you to remember the little I can do and imagine what more I can accomplish._ Mukuro blinked, frowning at the teen in front of him, the sound of voices got his attention and so he moved before the others that were coming could interrupt.

Mukuro slammed the end of his trident on the ground, the floorboards caving in and cracking as a line split towards her.

Natsume braced herself, not at all hearing Tsuna’s voice when he called towards her when a hand made up of indigo flames reached out from the caverns that had been created and wrapped around her. She didn’t get a chance to free herself because Mukuro was suddenly right there in her face, once more touching her cheek and pulling her towards him.

“Such a cute little thing isn’t she?” the blue haired teen asked the brunet who stared wide eyed, noting the disgusted look on his sister’s face as Mukuro put an arm around her shoulder, the tip of his trident uncomfortably close to her face.

(No one had ever tried to use Natsume against Tsuna, usually the bullies went straight for Tsuna and ended up meeting Natsume halfway towards him when she realized their intent.)

There was a bright light that came from the doorway as Tsuna’s usually sweet smiling face twisted into anger, his eyes glowing and literal licks of fire curling between his knuckles and up his arms ( _where those gloves he was holding? Was that what the bright light was?_ )

Mukuro smirked, “She’ll be safe as long as you do as I say, young Decimo.”

“Right,” Natsume breathed out, squirming against the giant hand holding her, where it squeezed her tighter upon reflex. She breathed in slowly as Tsuna began to glance between her and Mukuro, narrowed eyes showing concern for her situation and when she caught his gaze she shook her head slightly.

“So you are the real Rokudo Mukuro,” Tsuna began, his voice quivering while his hands furled into fists, crinkling the thin leather gloves in his hands.

The blue haired teen tried to give him what he thought was an amicable smile, but Tsuna could already sense his intent.

“Put the gloves on Tsuna,” Reborn’s voice came from a ways behind, the hitman finally parting from the shadows and revealing himself.

Natsume felt cold as she looked over at the hitman, already knowing her skin resembled that of a chickens from the chills that she felt. His shadow wasn’t warping like it did a couple of days ago and even though he was supposed to stay out of it, having someone like Reborn hanging over – watching and judging – didn’t sit well with her.

At least if anything went wrong he was there.

Then again if anything did go wrong she’d probably be dead.

There was a calling she felt deep within her, her attention turning to her brother who had finally slipped on his gloves. The simple dark brown gloves he had had changed beneath the flames that he was expelling now resembling fingerless leather gloves with bracers that extended nearly all the way up to his elbow.

Without batting an eye she focused on the feeling, knowing Tsuna was also experiencing something similar when one of his brows rose (it was like that one time months ago, Reborn was pushing them and pushing them and they couldn’t continue on, they had to do something, they had been desperate and then there was a sense of knowing, of moving together and a hell bent feeling on showing Reborn how they currently felt.)

“I highly doubt any type of gloves will do anything at this moment,” Mukuro tightened his hold on Natsume, “Are you willing to hurt –“ he didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence as Tsuna jumped forward, flames flaring alongside Natsume’s which helped in breaking the illusion that held her.

There was the sound of something hitting metal; Natsume couldn’t see what was going on anymore as she rolled away.

“Natsume!” That was Takeshi, his footsteps pounding against the floor as he ran his way over to her, small explosions coming from who she assumed to be Hayato giving Tsuna cover as he tried to probably evade Mukuro’s illusions. “Hey, hey I got you,” the baseball player kept his bat to his side as he helped Natsume up, the girl sighing out a thank you as she got on her feet.

Honeyed eyes looked over the teen, checking for any cuts or bruises, but didn’t see any though he noted how exhausted she was looking by the way she was slightly slouched as she made her way over to the downed figure of Hibari. She crouched beside the prefect, making sure to keep Tsuna at the corner of her eye as Takeshi came to stand in front of her, back to her and his baseball bat (did it also turn into a sword?) in hand.

A gun going off happened at the same time Hibari called her and Natsume was torn between what she should give more attention. Relief seem to emit from Takeshi, but the teen could still feel that something was wrong.

“Sawada –“the prefect called her again, so she turned to look at Hibari, who was trying to push himself up. Natsume tsk’ed at the prefect about to make him just lay down because he should not be moving at all, only to be clipped in the chin with his tonfa as he swung up.

“Fucking shit,” she cursed, Takeshi turning in to see Hibari try to balance on his knees and lash out at Natsume a second time.

“Oho~” left the prefects mouth, eyes taking on a different color before they blinked back to their usual dark gray, sliding shut as his body crumpled down once more.

She looked up at Takeshi, who looked uncharacteristically serious when he crouched beside her and looked at Hibari, “You okay?” he asked her and she gave him a halfhearted smile while bringing a hand up to rub her chin.

“I suppose so.”

An explosion rang out from the other side of the room and Takeshi was already moving, knowing that Natsume would be fine for now as he made his way over to Tsuna’s side, in time to hear clearly what the silver haired teen and the brunet were saying to each other.

“Hayato? No…Mukuro?”

“Kufufu~ such a good guesser aren’t you Tsunayoshi-kun?”

“What’s happening now Tsuna?” Takeshi asked, ready to swing at Hayato as well if he tried anything else.

Tsuna’s brows furrowed, his displeasure evident by the way his lips tilted down at the corner, “Be careful Takeshi, that’s not Hayato anymore.”

Hayato gave them a bland smirk, his head tilting uncharacteristically to the side, “But it’s still your friend, so what will you do Tsunayoshi-kun?” here the Mukuro-possessed-Hayato pulled out some more dynamite and had them at the ready. “I’ve said the Mafia is a cruel place, where even the best of friends can turn against one another, will you raise your hand or will you let this one take you down?”

“Don’t hesitate Tsuna –“

“Oh is the arcobaleno finally going to involve himself?”

“This is not my fight.”

Mukuro seemed much more chipper than before as he narrowed his eyes at Tsuna, who was outright glaring at him.

“You said you wanted the Vongola Decimo,” Tsuna began, his voice hitching a bit and he took a deep breath to calm his nerves, could feel his finger nails digging into the thick leather of his gloves. “Well here I am, I won’t deal with you unless you are your own person.”

It was odd seeing Hayato grin so sinister, to see him toss his head back as he outright laughed, the sound quickly cutting off as his body fell back.

“So what will it be then?” A voice breathed against his ear and Tsuna caught Reborn’s gaze, his intuition soaring as he saw Reborn’s small hands finger one lone bullet.

Could Reborn possibly know what he was asking, Tsuna wondered as he looked away from his tutor, his chin nearly resting against his chest as his eyes slipped shut for a moment. He could feel Takeshi gearing up to take another swing at Mukuro, but holding himself back in case the illusionist pulled the same trick of disappearing again and he instead hit Tsuna.

Tsuna could feel Natsume, her nerves kicking in as she watched, unable to do much of anything (though he knew she could do much more than she let on, he didn’t understand why she held herself back now, when before she was willing to go all out.)

As Tsuna turned to face Mukuro, a single shoot rang out, catching him right in the middle of his forehead.  There was a slight pain as he felt his body fall backwards against Mukuro, who felt confused and angry (because how was he supposed to use a dead body now?) as he merely held Tsuna up.

There was a calm that permitted the air, before it was rent up in pure Sky flames.

Without much thought Tsuna moved, grabbed Mukuro’s wrist and flipped the teen over his shoulder, his left hand held out right in front of the teen’s face.

Surprise.

Anger.

..regret?

“Oho? Is that what you’ve been planning this whole time?” but still just as confident, as if there wasn’t a palm full of Sky flames ready to devour him held just a couple centimeters away from his face. “What will you do now, kill me?”

No, Tsuna didn’t have it in him (at least not yet).

“Something better,” Tsuna murmured quietly, amber eyes gazing intently into heterochromatic eyes. He flexed his palm the flames burning even brighter as they took on a life of their own and leapt at Mukuro, enveloping the teen who tried to get away.

But Tsuna’s flames already knew what to do and Tsuna knew that whatever darkness Mukuro harbored, whatever taint he had sustained it wouldn’t be washed away so easily.

For now though as the flames finally faded away and left behind a peaceful, sleeping boy, he thought the little he had done was enough.

His mother had always said to give everyone a chance, no matter what and something within him told him to give Mukuro one last chance.

As his vision began to blur, Tsuna just hoped he had made the right decision.

/ | \

While the others were tended to, Natsume stood back, arms wrapped around herself (she still felt the chill of the Vindice, _unnatural beings_ ). Tsuna had passed out once everything had finally settled, not handling the strain of that bullet Reborn had shot at him, Takeshi was being checked over to make sure he wasn’t too hurt, and Hayato (with a worried looking Bianchi hovering about) was being lifted into one of the ambulances that had shown up.

Hibari had long since been carted away, the most heavily injured out of all of them and she was left with little to nothing to show for what she had done that day (minus the fatigue and a crash from all the adrenaline.)

“You and I are going to have a talk on what it means to not get involved.”

Apparently she was going to get chewed out right then and there while everyone else was preoccupied, how lovely.

She shrugged, giving off the impression of ‘what can you do’, Reborn could feel a tick starting to develop, but he quelled it, not at all giving into some rather scathing thoughts and urges to just shoot.

“ _Now, Natsume.”_

Teenagers, for Cristo’s sake.

She pursed her lips, brows furrowed as she turned to look at Reborn, “What is there to talk about, everything already happened.”

And luckily everything turned out fine, Mukuro and his cronies were back at Vindice, Tsuna and the others were fine.

“ _You_ were alone and moving around Kokuyo without really knowing where your enemies were.”

He could see her jaw clench, could feel that stubborn wall she had held up against him when he first arrived being put up again.

“I knew what I was doing.”

Reborn scoffed, couldn’t help it, “Do you know exactly what you were doing?” he asked in retort, he knew she could handle herself in most situations, but in something like this? She was untrained, he wasn’t entirely too sure on the extent of her flames, and he also did not trust whoever it was she was learning from (because if it had to be kept from _him,_ the actual tutor, they weren’t trustworthy).

“ _Yes_ , I’m not stupid, I know what I’m capable of and what I’m not,” she snapped back, eyes narrowed at him. “If I didn’t think I couldn’t, I wouldn’t get myself involved.”

“So what did you do then, please elaborate,” his response was terse and it seemed to change something in her.

Gone was the anger, her face had lost its flushed color seeming gray at whatever crossed her mind and Reborn wondered if something else had happened that she had been made to forget and now it had come forth.

Confusion clouded her eyes and she looked away from him, biting down on her lip, her arms which had dropped down at her sides coming up to wrap around herself again.

“The Bloody Twins are dead.”

Reborn walked up to the girl, his hand reaching out and tugging on her jeans, “Sit down.” She listened and she seated herself, gone was the little spitfire from a couple seconds ago and in her place was a girl who was trying to figure out exactly what she had done. “Did you do that?”

She nodded, mouth pressed into a thin line, “Look at me and speak, did you kill the Twins Natsume?” She looked at him, hazel eyes bright and he could almost guess how she had done it.

“Yes,” she uttered out, more of an exhale of air than an actual sound. “They had Fuuta and I’m sure they would have done a lot worse.” She brought her knees up to her chest, resting her arms against them and then her head, not once breaking eye contact with Reborn. “I didn’t even have to touch them, I just –“she finally broke away from Reborn’s gaze and hid her face in her arms, “I just held onto them until they stopped moving.”

And he was painfully reminded that these were children, ever so slowly being tainted by his world. Reborn quietly sighed, standing beside the girl as she tried to hide away the mess of emotions that had surfaced up because of him.

He knew this wasn’t the first time she had done this, but it was the first she had consciously done it instead of a reaction to feelings and a want to protect. She obviously wouldn’t go to her friends about this and tell them what was bothering her if she didn’t get over it, she wouldn’t talk to the boys about it either.

She had only told him because he had practically demanded she tell him what she had done and he knew that if he hadn’t, she would have kept it to herself until someone either figured it out or blamed the Bloody Twins death on one of the other criminals.

“You know you don’t have to go through with this anymore,” Reborn began, choosing his words carefully. “You don’t have to get further involved.”

She scoffed, “I’d rather know exactly what’s coming for us than be taken by surprise later on.” She lifted her head up, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand before she turned to look at him once more. Her eyes were a little red, lashes still wet, but there was a hardness there, one with promises and a resolve that wouldn’t break.

He kept from smiling up at her, instead keeping his expression blank, “And what if another situation like this happens again?”

Here she gave him a bitter smile, “I’ll do it again.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Nostalgic_Beauty: it didn't end as bad as it could have. :D Bless the Gods for small miracles.  
> @AnotherAnon: I'm glad you liked it! :D
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this one,  
> Until Next time~  
> Sorugao :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or stuff.**

**Word Count:** 8570

* * *

_Part 22: Shh Child Don't Worry You Have Family_

Seeing as she hadn't been as heavily injured as the others had, Natsume still had to go to school the next day. It felt so odd to have been a part of what had happened yesterday and then continue on the next day like they hadn't been fighting against a murderous teenager who had wanted her brother.

She paused in taking her notes, reading over the slightly sloppy writing to make sure everything seem right, her mind going a mile a minute.

Would Mukuro have done to Tsuna what he had done to Hayato?

Probably, though how long would that have lasted if he had managed?

_If_  it had happened would she have been able to do anything about it?

The bell rung, signaling the end of the day. The sensei rattled off a couple last minute things about an assignment coming up, but she wasn't really listening, putting her own things away and leaving as soon as she was able too.

She headed downstairs, not at all bothered by the crowd of students that was spilling out of the classrooms, the casual pace bothered Natsume for some odd reason as she tried to make her way through without stepping or running into someone.

Quick to get her regular shoes, she switched those out for her school ones. Without missing much of a beat, she shut her locker before she made her way towards the gym, only turning around when she heard a familiar voice calling after her.

"Hey Sawada!"

"Kato-senpai," Natsume greeted the third year, who was a couple inches taller than her. The Volleyball captain gave her a slight grin, giving a little wave in return.

"Coach is sick and cancelled practice for today, said to do warm ups on our own time."

"Oh, tomorrow for sure though?"

The dark haired teen nodded, thumping Natsume lightly on the back as she began to move towards the group of girls that was waiting for her a ways back, "Probably, even if coach isn't, we'll practice something."

"Alright, see you then Kato-senpai."

"Later Sawada!"

Natsume stood feeling unsure if she should head home or find Hana and Kyoko, which would entail waiting around for them. Slightly cursing herself for not bringing a watch and leaving the shared phone with Tsuna (who was probably playing that silly solitaire game or texting Dino,  _probably both_ ) she made her way out of school grounds and headed towards the one place where she would be most comfortable.

/ | \

The bell to Kawahira's shop tinkled lightly when Natsume stepped through, noting that the shop was empty. She made her way through, sometimes lingering behind when she spotted an odd trinket that caught her eye, or to smooth her hands over some of the fabrics that hung on some of the racks.

The beaded curtain that Kawahira kept to block off the back made noise and she was greeted by the sight of her teacher's bland face, his plum colored eyes locking with hers and seeming to understand what she hadn't said.

He parted the curtains for her and she ducked, murmuring a soft thank you to him. She paused right there, her hands clutching at the strap of her duffle bag and she could feel everything that she tried to keep down, that she had almost let out in front of Reborn come out.

A warm hand between her shoulder blades guided her to the couch and stayed there as she broke down.

Last night she had dreamed once more of a life where everything was mostly peaceful, where there was no worry about the Mafia or if someone was going to come after her and her family. She had tried her best to push aside the Bloody Twin's deaths, but that only brought forth the man in the suit, who had fell to her just as easily as the twins had.

" _We weep so we do not hold in the anguish our soul feels; We weep to be free and breathe easier; We weep so the burden in our minds does not bury us, We weep, We cry, We let it out,"_ she could hear Kawahira murmur, his cheek resting against the teen's hair as he willingly pulled her to him and let her cry against the side of his chest.

This was not supposed to happen, he realized ( _since when was he anyone ever came to for comfort?_ )

She had been a curiosity, something to take up his time and amuse him ( _and if along the way he managed to gain another Mist arcobaleno for the next generation, what harm could it have done?_ ) The more he got to know the girl; he noted he was more than amused.

He was always willing to listen to the stories that had been passed on to her mother from her, had heard snippets of her childhood, had seen her pull Wonomichi into a dance when his assistant had decided to turn on the radio.

In less than a year he had been drawn to the girl in a way that would have had Sepira smiling knowingly at him, her eyes crinkling at the corner's as she nudged him ( _and if she had been here, she would have nudged him, taken Natsume aside and spoken to her in ways that he would never be able too_.)

Sepira would have known what to do with the reborn soul beside him.

It was rare the occasion when a person like that came up and Sepira, along with the others always took care of them. It had taken him a while to actually notice it, but he could see it in the way the girl sometimes talked ( _she slipped into Spanish babbling away, her eyes bright and peaceful_ ), in the way she referred to certain events and seemed so calm and collected when they passed by, not at all surprised.

Like what had happened with the escaped criminals, she was not as worried as the others had been, had seemed to glide through the situation smoothly without much thought and probably would have continued on that way if it hadn't been for the Sun Arcobaleno.

Who broke whatever mindset the girl ( _because one was Natsume_ ) and the other one surged forth, unbelieving and in shock ( _how much did the other influence Natsume,_ Kawahira wondered,  _because a child so young, even as talented could not come up with the various ways she used her Mist. There was an influence there and so much could only come from books and stories.)_

(Most of it came from books and stories, the very little came from Natsume's feelings, her reaction and what she wanted to happen. Because she believed so much that her Mist was like magic, that it was based so much on what she wanted and she had always been stubborn – even before – when it came to what she believed in.

Nana had always said to Natsume to love herself and stand for what she believed in; Jasmine couldn't help but believe in the unreal, always doodling away passages in her psychology notes about worlds that would never exist (because it was an escape from reality which wasn't always the best.)

The girl tried to breathe through her nose, which wasn't going to happen because of how congested it was and instead ended up breathing through her mouth as Kawahira handed her a tissue.

"I hate blowing my nose," she whined, voice sounding nasally and pitiful as she took the tissue and held it against her nose and blew. "Blegh, so gross," she folded the tissue, using the edges she had to wipe around the area before crumpling it up in her hand.

She sniffled, not at all looking at him, "I," she hesitated, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that."

"Nonsense," Kawahira said, shaking his head as he pulled away from the girl who cast him a worried look. "You've been holding yourself up, don't think I haven't noticed."

Because there was a difference between the girl he had met about a year ago and the girl now – the girl who had yet to meet the Sun Arcobaleno, who lived as happily as she could alongside her brother. The girl of now watched and strayed away ever so slowly, giving as much as she could without showing everything she was capable of.

And she was capable of so much and in the old days she would have ended her apprenticeship and gone on to travel the world, to build and learn more from the world than what one person could teach her.

"I thought I would be able to handle it," she whispered quietly, leaning back against the couch, toeing off her shoes. "I feel like I shouldn't have killed them."

"Who?"

"The Bloody Twins."

At his silence she explained, "They were serial killers, from what I read about them they were merciless, did it for the joy and thrill of it," her voice quivered slightly, a few stray tears falling at just recalling the dead. "They had Fuuta and he was terrified, it – it reminded me of Tsuna when they had him that day."

Ah, that explained why she killed them, it was more based on the emotion of a distant, oddly similar memory that led her to that split decision.

"In the world you live in –"Kawahira started only to be caught off as Natsume continued on.

"I hope they find peace in their next life."

The white haired man blinked slowly, seeing the faraway look in her eyes, "Why would you say that?" Her smile was slightly bitter, but she didn't look at him at all, instead she looked down, fiddling with her fingers as she spoke,

"Everyone deserves their chance at peace."

That's at least what everyone deserved, because no one came into this life willingly.

/ | \

"Ugh I look so gross," Natsume murmured, hands squishing her own face and making her mouth resemble a fishes. She widened her eyes, the whites of it a little red from her crying and the bags beneath them just a bit more pronounced. "The only nice thing about crying is that my eyes look a little more green."

"Talking to yourself is a sign of insanity," came Kawahira's voice through the bathroom door, which she directed a slight glare at before returning her gaze back to the mirror.

She'd ignore that for now.

She released her face from her hands, pointer finger instead poking along the apples of her cheeks and against the bags that had become much more obvious. She blew a strand of light brown hair away from her face, not at all in the mood to tie it up (it was a bit past her shoulders now and a tangled mess because she kept messing with it all day).

With her lips slightly pursed, she really, really looked at herself, her pointer finger tracing the shape of her eye which was smaller than Tsuna's, who had their mother's wide, almost doe-like eyes. From her eyes she traced down her nose, which instead of rounding off like Tsuna's, it turned up just a little; her mouth was next before it trailed back to her cheeks.

( _A time before it was much lighter skin and more rounded off eyes, shades darker than Tsuna's. Her nose had been rather prominent and little crooked at the edge and a light dusting of freckles against her cheek.)_

Maybe Kawahira had it right, was she going insane?

She looked down at herself, brows furrowed in thought, hands coming down to finger the hem of her skirt (which was becoming quite short now that she looked at it).

A knock came on the door, "I have food..."

"…is it ramen?"

"What do you think?"

She snorted, finally turning away from the mirror and her self-analysis and opening up the door to be greeted by the unamused visage of her teacher, "It's always ramen, do you realize how much sodium that has?"

Kawahira waved a hand at her, turning away and heading towards the low table on the other side of the couches. She followed closely behind, expecting to see two steaming bowls of soup and instead it was two simple plates of food.

One had a stack of chocolate chip pancakes, while the other had a decently sized mound of fried rice, with slices of avocado on it, topped off with a sunny side up egg.

"You made that?" she asked, not seeing any takeout boxes or bags in sight.

He poked her in the back, nudging her forward to her seat, "I am capable of cooking, I just prefer not to."

Natsume was a little thrown off and very confused, which showed clearly on her face. Kawahira raised a hand to smother a laugh, because really did his student think so little of him? He was capable of many feats, so why would cooking be such an odd thing for him to do?

"How'd you even know I like chocolate chip pancakes?"

Kawahira only raised a brow as he finally sat down and picked up his chopsticks, "I have my ways." If she didn't remember that she had told him herself that she favored those from the Namimori Diner when she had suggested once that he should eat something different, it would be fun to mess with her about his 'all-knowing-abilities'.

"Creepy," she said, her voice still a little rough from having cried, but the teasing tone evident. "Thank you, sensei."

"Hm."

/ | \

Once again Natsume did not sleep, for a second she had held out hope that maybe if she just talked about it with someone she would be able to at least get some form of rest. With a shaky breath she got up from her bed, wrapping her blanket around her shoulders as she made her way out of her room and towards Tsuna's.

Slipping into her brother's room was easy enough without waking the boy up, though Reborn was another story which she ignored.

She squatted down, holding the ends of her blanket with one hand while the other reached out and poked Tsuna on the nose, "Hey," she whispered out, poking her brother once more, making him scrunch his nose and blink his eyes awake. He looked confused for a second as he looked around blearily, quickly focusing on her as he sat up slowly his own blanket pooling in his lap.

"Tsu?" he yawned out, rubbing at his eyes, "What's wrong?"

"I can't sleep."

Her brother sniffed, shuffling back a little and gestured down beside him. She climbed into his bed, quickly making herself comfortable, wrapping herself up to the point the blanket covered over only her mouth.

Tsuna sniffed once more was his sister finally settled down and laid back down, brown eyes looking over Natsume.

"You okay?" he asked after a while, slightly realizing that she wasn't about to fall asleep any time soon. It was just like when they were young and she would tell him about the dreams that bothered her, where she felt everything ending.

When was the last time she sought him for comfort?

It had always been him looking for her and she was willing to do so much – he hadn't even asked her how she felt about Kokuyo and she had been alone there and who knows what she might have seen or what she might have done.

"About –"

" _I'm fine Tsuna._ "

He bit his lower lip, because  _no s_ omething obviously wasn't fine if she was acting like this, but he couldn't force it out of her, not if he wanted to make her mad ( _because she could be so fussy sometimes, when she didn't want to be outright mean, she had a tendency to avoid him until she was over it and he absolutely hated dealing with that_.)

He reached a hand out to her, he noticed the way the corners of her eyes crinkled in a smile, her own hand coming from her blankets and grabbing his.

"Goodnight Tsume."

"Night Tsuna."

The next morning Reborn found one twin splayed out, while the other had managed to get the other's blankets and was snuggling with it. Tsuna didn't seem at all bothered to have lost his blanket to his sister, happily stretched out and lightly snoring away (and pretty much taking up most of the space of his bed) while his sister huddled towards the edge, though looking just as content.

It was about time to get ready for school, so Reborn had Leon shift into an alarm clock, counting down one minute before it went off. The loud ringing that went off made Tsuna jerk awake, while Natsume frowned and tried to hide her face within the blanket.

"Get up and greet the sun you two!"

Tsuna cast him a rather offended look, while Natsume peeked from the blanket a smile curling at the edge of her mouth.

" _You did not –"_

" _He did –"_

Tsuna seemed to think about it, mind still half asleep though registering Reborn's joke, he turned to his twin and nudged her, "This is your fault."

Natsume pushed herself up on her right elbow, while her left hand covered up her mouth as she yawned, "How?"

"You and your stupid jokes."

"You and your stupid hair," she floundered near the end, sticking her tongue out at Tsuna as she laid back down.

Why did they have to be like this sometimes?

"I said get up."

Tsuna made a sound and when he felt Reborn's gaze on him he just gave the arcobaleno a flash of teeth before climbing over his sister, making his way over to his closet and picking out one of his clean uniforms and left his room to get ready in the bathroom.

"Natsume."

The girl groaned, finally pushing herself up and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, "I'm going, I'm going," and like last night she left the room with the blanket around her shoulders s she made her way to hers.

Once both were out, Reborn shook his head looking down at his animal companion who merely flicked his tongue at him, "Seems like our routine's coming back." The chameleon only blinked, scuttling his way up Reborn's arm and perching himself on the hitman's shoulder.

"Let's see what else will be in store for us."

_Part 23: Cheer Up_

"Can we  _not_ go to school tomorrow," Natsume asked once she got home from volleyball practice, still in her practice shorts and the school sweater she had taken from Tsuna earlier that morning.

"Is that mine?"

The teen girl left her bags at the door, toeing off her shoes before making her way to the kitchen table where Tsuna sat doing homework with both I-pin and Lambo. "Maybe," she chirped at, looking over his shoulder and wrinkling her nose at the all the math he was doing. "Is  _mama_ home?"

"No, she went out with Bianchi, something about needing help for Hayato's birthday next week," Tsuna trailed off at the end, blinking slowly as he realized exactly what he had just said. He turned to his sister who only shrugged at him, "I forgot about that."

"Same," she pointed out at one of the problems, taking a closer look at his work, "I think you also forgot a 'y' here."

" _Hie?_  Agh, I knew I screwed that up!"

"Look, look  _ane!_ " Lambo waved over at Natsume, who walked around the table, " _Maman_ gave this to us to color!"

"Oh~" Natsume looked over at the sheet – both were drawings that were split up and marked by numbers, one was a cute looking house with the clouds and sun above it and the other was a cat. At the bottom of the page were five short problems that they had to solve and telling them what spaces to color. " _Mama_ sure has you two working, huh?"

" _Maman_ help lots!" I-pin said, standing up in the chair as she picked a black crayon, "Tsuna-nii help lot too!"

_Mew._

"Emi~" the cat curled around Natsume's legs, before sitting down and staring at her. Without much thought Natsume bent down to scoop the cat into her arms, rubbing the feline's belly as she continued to watch over the kids do their work.

"You're not going to do homework Natsume?"

"Maybe later," she responded to the tutor, who had appeared beside Tsuna and was currently checking over his work while her brother pulled out his history work. "I think I only have today's English assignment, but that's due next week."

The phone rang in that moment and Natsume ducked into the kitchen, checking the caller ID and answering the phone. " _Ciao Papa!_ " her voice was light and airy, a mixture of excited and anxious to finally speak to her father who seemed to have completely gone off the radar or at least that's what it seemed like that (when  _was_  the last time he had called?)

" _Hoho, Tsume? How's my big girl?"_

She leaned back against the counter, "Good, a little tired from practice, but everything is good. How about you  _Papa?_ "

" _Busy, busy,"_ Iemitsu tutted out over the line, " _Missing all of you of course, trying to plan a visit, but things keep coming up."_

"Things?"

Her father hummed, " _Things, nothing you should be worrying about just yet,"_ she could feel a stray thought twist and pull, an angry man, scars, but quickly pushed it back. " _I'm going to guess your mother isn't home? What about Tsuna is he there?"_

"Yeah  _Mama's_ out," she chanced a peep to the dining table, only to find Tsuna gone and Lambo and I-pin squabbling over one of the colors, "I think Tsuna just went out too, with Reborn."

He sighed and she could just picture him running a hand through his hair, a pinched look on his face, " _How's_ that  _going?"_

She smacked her lips, a soft 'hm' leaving her as she thought how to answer that, "It's a kick in the ass."

" _Language,"_ her father admonished, though she could hear the humor in his voice, " _But yes, he's known for that."_

Another voice came over the line, her father uttered a curse and she barely refrained herself from telling him about  _his_ language.

" _Hey Tsume, I have to go, take care okay? And tell your mother and brother I love them."_

"Sure,  _be careful papa._ "

"…." There was a pause, " _Always._ "

And the line ended.

/ | \

After Saturday school, Natsume had managed to drag Tsuna along to Takeshi's place, her brother saying most of the way how they should let him rest.

"You really think he wants to be in bed all day,  _again_?" she threw back at her brother, entering the sushi shop and greeting Tsuyoshi. "Yamamoto-san! How are you today?"

The man raised the hand that wielded a knife in greeting, before resuming to chopping up whatever it was he had on the board, "Kids! Good to see you two!" the older man gestured with his head up the stairs to their home, "Takeshi's upstairs if you're here to see him, I'm sure he'll be happy to see someone else other than me."

"I highly doubt that," Tsuna said, "I'm sure Takeshi is happy to spend so much time with his father."

The older man gave them a half smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he did so, "Have to ask him his opinion then, you kids have fun, don't get too rowdy."

" _Hai, hai,_ we'll be good."

The ducked through the curtain that Tsuyoshi had put up to at ensure some sort of privacy so nobody would be looking up to the next level of the shop, which doubled as their home. They made their way up to Takeshi's room, knocking on the teen's door, who sounded a bit groggy when he said to come in.

"Morning sleeping beauty," Natsume called over her brother's shoulder, eyeing the slightly roughed up teen. Takeshi slanted a bland stare her way as he sat up, to which she wiggled her fingers and winked at him, "We brought the goods."

Takeshi scrunched his brows, before letting his face fall into his hands as he yawned, palms soon rubbing at his eyes, "Goods?"

"There is nothing good about homework," Tsuna sighed out, wondering  _what_ exactly had his sister in such a good mood that she was acting like this.

"It is if it takes you out of the house for some fresh air," Natsume answered back, "And then we can go to this cool little shop and get Hayato a present."

Takeshi seemed to perk up a little at that, while Tsuna rolled his eyes,  _because of course_  and he had an idea of where exactly they were going to do 'homework' and it was probably that coffee shop she and her friends liked to frequent.

The baseball player finally got out of bed, stretching his arms above his head before he began rifling through his dresser, "I'll just get dressed, yeah? You two can stay here."

"We don't mind waiting down –"Tsuna didn't get the chance to finish as the teen just walked out. "Okay then." Tsuna turned to his sister, who had moved and was staring out Takeshi's window, watching the people mill about.

"Since when did you like shopping?" he asked, going up to her side, trying to see who exactly she was looking at. "Oh look its Matsumoto-baasan," Tsuna pointed at the short, older woman, her ashy brown hair pulled up into a tight bun. "Speaking of, we should go to the diner," Natsume looked about ready to argue, except for the way she angled her head in thought, and gave a nod.

"Something with lots of avocado and ranch sounds good," she said, turning away from the window and looking at him.

Brown looked up at hazel and Tsuna got the odd feeling that his sister was nervous over something, but couldn't quite put his finger on it, "You want to split a chicken sandwich?"

"And french fries," the edge of her mouth curved up, her eyes lighting up at the hot potatoes and Tsuna barley refrained from rolling his eyes. He lightly shoved her, shaking his head at her instead.

"What's up with you?"

"What's up with me, what's up with you?"

"Guys?"

The duo turned, blinking at the baseball player who just stared back. Takeshi waited, leaning against the doorway as he gave his friends an amused look, "Ready?" The dark haired teen nodded and let the other two lead the way out, picking up his shoes and his backpack on the way down the stairs.

Taking a quick seat on the last step to put on his shoes, the trio waved bid Tsuyoshi goodbye and made their way out.

"Is Hayato going to meet us at the diner?" Takeshi asked having overheard something about food.

"Bianchi kind of has him hostage at the moment and we all know how he gets when she's around," there was a slight moment of silence for their friend, "Plus," Natsume picked up where her brother left off, "We're getting him a present."

"…can we do that first instead of homework?"

Tsuna looked thoughtful and Natsume seemed to want to take that offer, "It's only a bit of sheet work for math and a short paper for the book we're all reading in English."

Takeshi seeming to see the girl's already weak resolution for doing homework, continued poking, "Plus we can work with Hayato tomorrow, right and it'll be more fun as a group."

Tsuna waited, knowing his sister could be stubborn when she wanted to do something, but also knowing that when something that she was much more interested was involved she would rather drop whatever else to do just that.

It was in the slow breath she let out, her tongue peeking out as she changed direction and began to lead the two towards the coffee shop and that old antique shop that Takeshi and Tsuna shared a fist bump behind Natusme's back.

It was Saturday after a rather hectic week, who in their right mind would want to do any type of homework?

/ | \

"That was actually a pretty cool place," Takeshi said once they had finished browsing through all the wares and finally settled on a present for Hayato.

The nice shop keep had packaged the brass ring they had bought the silver haired teen, Tsuna having caught sight of the ring in one of the jewelry cases and being completely adamant that Hayato would like it.

The ring band was thick, the metal of it was dark and looked old, almost gothic like and with the small square red stone inlayed on it, Takeshi agreed that it would be something Hayato would wear. It took Natsume haggling with the white haired shop keeper to lower the price a little, the man was nice enough to do so, commenting on the ring the girl herself wore and gesturing to the others if she was interested in another type.

From what he knew of her, Takeshi knew Natsume had held back on glaring at the adult, and as soon as they were out of the shop she was muttering something not so nice under her breath.

"Yeah, is this where you get all those crystal things you have Tsume?" Tsuna asked, taking the lead as they walked back onto the main street to walk further up and head to the diner.

"…yeah…."

"It's kind of witchy in there, don't you think Tsuna?"

"It's an antique shop, they all feel weird don't they?"

Tsuna catching onto Takeshi's tone joined up with his friend, biting on the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing as he spoke, "Our little witch, you already create things don't you, it wouldn't be a stretch."

Takeshi put an arm around Natsume's shoulder as he outright laughed, slightly wincing when Natsume dug one of her knuckles into his side, " _Hari Potter_  influencing you again?"

The girl's darkening cheeks as she looked away at that jab was worth it, even though the two knew there would be payback later. Takeshi already knew she kept to her promises, especially with that one time she messed with his head, and then the other time she made him think he tied up his shoes right, only for him to trip and realize that they had been tied together.

"I'm feeling so attacked right now," she huffed out, crossing her arms beneath her small chest and trying not to pout.

"Aw Tsume," Tsuna slowed down his pace, standing on his sister's right side so he could pinch her cheek, "We do this because we care."

The high pitched, muffled scream that left his sister made Tsuna snicker.

Coming upon the diner, he opened up the doors, Natsume stalking in first, followed by Takeshi, Tsuna couldn't help but feel a bit elated. Though he had no clue what had been bothering his sister since Kokuyo and seeing Takeshi so glum earlier and happily joking right now, made him feel that everything would be fine.

Dino-nii had been right, as long as you had people beside you everything would eventually be alright.

_Part 24: I Spy with My Little Eye_

Reborn watched them all walk out of the shop and was glad to see that the children were in high spirits, goofing off and joking around with each other. He waited until they were out of sight to leave his place at the café he was at and stop in front of the store.

Leon came out from his collar, tongue flicking out lightly as he made his way up Reborn's arm and onto his hand.

It could be just because the girl had just frequented the shop and her scent was there and from Reborn could overhear before they all left she had been in there before to pick up on the trinkets she had started collecting.

Dark onyx eyes took in the store front, taking note of everything before he turned on his heel and left.

Perhaps he could get Bianchi to come with him, make his snooping much more believable compared to just a child that was lost.

As he left the area and made his way back to the Sawada home, he could feel himself breathe a little more at ease, though he still couldn't shake the feeling of being watched (or someone laughing at him).

Either way, whether it involved the girl or not, that little shop was odd and not in the mundane sort of way.

/ | \

Bianchi cast Nana a look, the woman in turn making a motion for her to go on as she bagged up the meat she was seasoning and putting it away in the fridge. The magenta haired woman gave the other a grateful smile and followed behind Reborn, who led her towards the living room.

"I would like to ask something of you, Bianchi," said woman blinked, a little taken back because it wasn't like Reborn to ask much of anyone unless he was tutoring them.

"Of course, anything for you Reborn," she answered, sitting down beside the hitman, her hands in her lap as she looked down at him, curious to what he wanted.

"There's a shop that I would like to look into," she could sense a but there and knew he wasn't going to say anything along the lines of what he was against. "I would like for you to accompany me."

She nodded, a softer smile gracing her lips, "I would love to go out with you, later on right?" she asked and got a nod from the hitman. It was a little odd for Reborn to be interested in a shop, especially one in such a small (almost) harmless town like Namimori. "If I may ask, why are you curious about the shop?"

She noted the way his fedora shadowed his face and she looked away, unlacing her hands and letting her elbow rest against the arm rest while her hand cupped her chin. Jade eyes closed, could practically feel a slight change to Reborn (something that terrified even  _her)._

"It's familiar in a way I don't like," was all he said.

/ | \

The weekend ended with Hayato coming over for a surprise visit that (he had thought to get away from Bianchi, had taken the chance, but found out rather unfortunately that his sister was actually at the Sawada's).

With that distraction going on, Bianchi and Reborn had left the house heading towards the market district and to the antique shop the teens had inhabited the day before. A bell jingled above them as the door was opened, Bianchi paying it no mind as she looked around.

Reborn, who was in Bianchi's arms, carefully eyed the place – the tables near the front clumped together and displaying rather fragile looking boxes that were open and showing silk gloves or small figurines. On the other tables sat an array of vintage Victorian masks, his eye lingering a little longer on one of them before he moved on and took to looking over at the walls around them, where scrolls and tapestries hung on display.

Dummies were dressed with different types of clothing – there was a leather ensemble, a modern outfit of Victorian outfits and similar skirts and dresses held up in the racks nearby. Moving more in, they could faintly smell incense burning or what they assumed was incense, since it had a pine-like smell. The tables in the middle of the shop held bottled up herbs and packaged mixtures with small white notes taped on them, loopy writing explaining what each held.

Not giving that much attention, they moved towards the back where there was display cases for the jewelry and crystals. Pressed up against the wall where one of the cases ended was a tall bookcase, filled with tarot cards and books, some of the covers were hard to read, while others the title showed brightly against the back of the book.

"Welcome," a light voice greeted and the pair turned to look at the white haired man who stepped through the beaded curtain.

Nothing about him stuck out, but something about him teased Reborn's senses and he couldn't quite explain why.

"Anything catch your interest today?"

"I am looking for a gift," Bianchi responded, the arm that wasn't holding Reborn coming up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Just trying to see what catches my eye and reminds me of them."

The man nod, his hands slipping out from the folds in his yukata and gestured around, "My shop holds curiosities for everyone, I hope you find what you are looking for."

A little odd, but Bianchi thanked the man and continued walking around, looking over the rings and necklaces he had before dismissing them away – the twins and Yamamoto had already gotten Hayato a ring, perhaps something that would get Hayato to just sit back and relax?

The jade eyed woman glanced over a the book shelf, eyes carefully taking in the titles of books, one or two catching her attention for herself and another that she thought Hayato might like. A prod from Reborn had her setting him down so that he could wonder around and let the woman do whatever that had caught her interest.

"I have some toys that you would probably like little one," the light tenor voice spoke up again and Reborn (so used to being referred to and seen as a child) barely twitched as he looked up at the man who had come from behind the counter.

Reborn couldn't make out his eyes, his glasses having a glare to them and it irked him slightly that he couldn't actually see the man's eyes, "I'm not interested in toys."

"Oh?"

Reborn walked past Bianchi, taking in the assortments of fine china, faded photographs and oddly enough candles, before he came back up to the front. He tucked his hands in his jacket, slowly extending his focus and feel for the oddness that he felt outside the shop, only for it to not be found.

Odd.

He was rarely wrong, so to find that perhaps maybe he had misjudged the shop, perhaps the children that had exited had left a lingering impression and it had faded on it, which had given off the vibe that something was wrong.

He blinked, turning back to Bianchi who was purchasing a couple books, making polite conversation with the shop owner.

"Ready to go?" the woman asked holding the bag she had been given at her side as she knelt down.

Dark eyes flicked over to the shop keep, who had busied himself and was writing in a rather thick book.

"I might come back again."

The scratching of the shop keeps pen didn't stop, not even when Bianchi scooped him up and bid the shopkeeper good bye – Reborn noted the amount of receipts he was looking through and noted that he was logging in the items that had been just been sold.

"Please do come back," the white haired man called after them and Reborn could feel the corner of his left eye want to twitch.

And as they left the shop, Reborn could feel something teasing at his senses. When the door closed the feeling from yesterday came back in full force and he could feel his eye twitch.

What the hell was going on here?

/ | \

That week passed by and ever so slowly they began to let their guard down, returning to how they had been ( _except nothing would really be how it was before, not when people had been viciously hurt, not when there was proof that there were people like Mukuro out there)._

Hayato's birthday would have gone by in peace, minus the fact that somethings came up that he hadn't really wanted to think about.

The teen had been elated to receive his present, not at all expecting anything and had actually picked up Tsuna in a tight hug, before realizing what he was doing. Takeshi had teased him, earning a rather embarrassed 'shut up baseball freak' and Natsume picked up where the dark haired teen had left off and told Hayato that he looked like a tomato.

"I'm just very grateful that the tenth thought to get me something!"

" _Right_ ," Natsume drawled out, cutting back on anymore teasing lest the teen physically combust. " _Y'know_ I think  _Mama_ said something about a dinner for you."

Hayato sputtered, almost choking on the onigiri he had stuffed in his mouth so he wouldn't say anything rude towards his boss' sister, "That's unnecessary," he managed out, thumping his hand against his chest.

Tsuna turned his head slightly, looking a little confused because really why was his friend constantly rejecting and being so surprised over this kind of treatment? " _Mama_ likes you, Hayato –"

"Yeah pretty sure she considers you part of the family already."

The silver haired teen froze at that, looking uncomfortable as he opened up his water bottle and took a long drink, "She doesn't know me like that though."

Takeshi noticed how tense Hayato looked and glanced over at Natsume and Tsuna who were both looking a little lost, before Natsume seemed to find herself, "She doesn't have too, you already are." Takeshi caught Tsuna's wince at his sister's words, before he looked back at Hayato who was gaping at the fair haired brunette.

"I've done certain things, none of them good at all –" Natsume's snort cut him off and Hayato looked torn between yelling at her or keeping himself in check.

"She thinks you're a handsome, intelligent young man," the girl continued on as if Hayato hadn't spoken, "That any parent would be proud of."

Hayato scowled, this time standing up about to contradict Natsume's statement, "If any parent would be proud then why did my own father and his own think me a bastard?"

It was awkward now and Takeshi didn't want to be there anymore, he didn't want to see Hayato be angry (especially when he had been so happy a couple minutes ago), didn't want to see his friends fighting over the idea of family.

"Tsume, Hayato," Tsuna tried to placate, by trying to call both teen's attention and failing when they ignored him.

"Fuck your dad and whoever else thinks that way," Natusme responded, not getting up, but her expression was a touch more pinched and she looked about ready for anything Hayato threw her way. "If they can't accept you as you are, fuck them, seriously people like that aren't good for you at all."

"So what - you saying you accept me, even though you know nothing about me?" Hayato threw out, hands balled into fists, the ring he had received from the three lighting up slightly, no one noticing the odd glow coming from the red garnet.

"If I didn't, do you think I'd let you be friends with Tsuna, that I would bring you to my home to my  _mother_?" Natsume fired back and Tsuna could see her temper rising and he hoped it wasn't another 'punch the other person to feel better' moment because his sister would.

"Hayato," Tsuna decided to speak up, getting not only the silver haired teen's attention on himself, but also his sister's whose pinched expression seemed to shift to something more akin to curiosity. "We are being honest with you, it doesn't matter what or who you were,  _Mama_ cares about you as if you were her own."

The teen looked as if he had been sucker punched, not at all expecting that to come from Tsuna ( _from the person he looked up too, that he respected because he was so kind, so honest, so willing to forgive, everything that Hayato wasn't)._

" _Ohana,"_ Natsume piped in, with Tsuna reiterating it and this time both Takeshi and Hayato looked at them rather oddly.

"Isn't that from a Disney movie?" Takeshi asked, his finger coming up to scratch at his cheek as he thought the word over and in return receiving a deadpanned stare from Natsume (while Tsuna tried  _not_ to face palm).

" _Hupo_ ," was what Natsume had to say to him, earning a smack against her arm from Tsuna who gave her a disappointed pout " _My bad,_ Sorry."

Hayato watched on, a little lost on how to react after what his to-be-boss had told him – sure he knew that they saw him as a friend and their mother always had something to say to him, whether it be a kind word of advice or asking him how he was feeling, in general just always talking to him and not at him.

He had honestly thought it was her just making small talk, but it seemed it was more than that and how had he not noticed?

Natsume busied herself by turning to Takeshi, who was looking at Hayato waiting for the silver haired teen to come to the realization that he had pretty much been adopted in all but name by Nana. Said teen didn't seem to realize that he was in a similar situation, though it was more of Nana being a stand in mother figure to the baseball player.

All the while Tsuna took in the embarrassed flush that appeared on his friends face, how he carefully sat down and held his hands in his lap, looking down instead of at any of them.

"If you don't want that, if that makes you uncomfortable, we can talk to her," Tsuna finally said after a while, crossing his arms against his chest.

The silver haired teen looked up, jade eyes wide as he shook his head, "No, no, I," he hesitated a little, before he continued on, "I would just like to know what she sees in me to think of me in such a way," his voice was unusually soft, his slightly deep voice sounding a bit awed at the revelation.

Of what he remembered of his own childhood there were distant parent figures, mostly just nannies and stewards that would tend to him. His sister had tried to be there, her good intentions always happened to backfire on her, but he still noted that she was of the few that actually showed she cared (even if being around her made him uneasy and feel sick, she was there).

And his piano teacher, Hayato looked down at his hands again, his thumb rubbing over the ring he had gotten, her smile was similar to the one Nana gave her children (and him) – there was a love and care, always happy, always willing to give.

There was a knock on the door followed by it opening and in walked Nana with a tray filled with food that she knew Hayato had taken a liking too. If anything the blush on Hayato's face had returned much darker than before; Nana not noticing this at all, just knelt down beside Hayato and placed the tray on the table that they had been sitting around.

"Happy birthday Hayato-kun~ I hope it's all to your liking!" Nana said cheerfully, putting an arm around Hayato's shoulders and giving him a side hug, not at all realizing the olive skinned teen's dark cheeks.

"Hey  _Mama_ ," Natsume spoke up, after the teen stuttered out a thank you, "What do you think of Hayato?"

Her mother blinked, head cocked to the side a little, thrown off by the sudden question. Chocolate brown eyes turned to take in the teen she had pulled into a hug and offered him a warm, if slightly sheepish smile (Hayato belatedly realized that the tenth had his mother's smile), "I think of him as one of my own," Nana lightly bit on the inside of her lip, a stray thought that sounded oddly like Esmi's exasperated voice made her add on, "That is if Hayato-kun is comfortable with that."

Hayato blinked and gave a her a jerky nod, "I would be honored to be seen in such a way by Tsuna-san's mother."

The brilliant smile that was given to him gave him a warm feeling and he relaxed even as Nana pulled her arm away and clasped her hands together in joy, "My children bring me such joy," the woman said, pushing herself up and turning that brilliant smile on all of them. The twins were used to it, happily taking to their mother's mood, whilst Takeshi was thrown a bit off.

Nana seemed to catch that and gave the baseball player a softer look, like she had done Hayato, "You fit in there as well Takeshi-kun."

The brunette woman then told them all to enjoy the snacks she had brought out before heading back downstairs, leaving behind two slightly stunned teenagers while the other two helped themselves to the food the woman had brought up.

" _Mama's_ always liked having a big family," Natsume said, her hand covering her mouth as she chewed her food, "When she left home, she left behind all the uncles and auntie,  _tutu,_ her  _mamay_ and  _pap."_

Tsuna gave his sister a glance, because if he had done that she would have called him out for speaking with his mouth full, "She has some friends, like the ladies next door, but I think this is the first time since she's come to Japan that she's felt comfortable enough to consider people family."

Takeshi and Hayato shared a look, both feeling a little out of place because how long had it been since they had a motherly figure in their life?

" _We_ are comfortable and happy and it makes her just as happy," Natsume added, leaning against the table, giving them a similarly warm look like Nana had done and wasn't  _that_ weird. It seemed she wasn't going to say anything else as she plucked up one of the deep fried gyoza, dipping it in the sauce her mom had made and popping it in her mouth.

"Tsume don't eat it all," Tsuna whined, scooting closer to the table and almost shoving his sister aside so he could reach out for one of the small bowls that had been filled with mangos and topped with a light red dusting of chili powder.

As the siblings did as they were wont to do, Hayato and Takeshi joined in, though going about it in a more thoughtful manner.

For one who had never truly known his mother, he was both warmed and completely terrified of messing up and disappointing the woman who he could probably one day call  _maman._ For the other, who had known his mother but could feel himself slowly forgetting about her, being around Nana brought back memories he had thought he had forgotten and though it ached sometimes, it was nice to be reminded and shown that same love and care that his own mother once had given him.

Natsume cast Tsuna secretive smile, her brows rising as she cocked her head in the other two's direction. Tsuna leaned in, resting his forehead against her shoulder to hide the silly look he had on his face, because in that moment as the other two mulled over what had just happened and been revealed to them, Tsuna felt as if everything had finally clicked into place.

* * *

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or stuff**

**Word Count:** 8424

* * *

_Part 25: No Going Back_

“Go Takeshi!” Tsuna called out, waving a sign that had his friends name and jersey number written on it as said teen stepped up to the plate. There was a slight silence from the gathered group as the pitcher from the opposing team wound up and threw the ball as hard as he could.

Takeshi in that moment was as calm as he could be; it was just him, the bat in his hands and the incoming ball. His eyes narrowed, zeroing in on the incoming projectile and he swung, the ball hitting the bat with a huge ‘crack’ like sound before it went up and out into right field.

There was a loud cheer and his heart was bumping fast as he dropped the bat he was holding, running towards first and second, his heart in his throat as he just barley slid into third.

When the next player came out to bat, he missed the first one, but managed on the second, hitting out towards center field and Takeshi took off, knowing that the other players wouldn’t catch the ball and wouldn’t be fast enough to throw it to get him out.

He could hear his friends cheering as he made it back home, getting giddy and slightly heavy pats on his back from his teammates as he made his way to the dugout.

_This is what I love to do_ , he thought to himself, taking off his helmet, while grabbing one of the water bottles. He wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand, eyes looking over the other players, enjoying the thrill that ran in the air.

He could feel warmth fill him, a soft ping like feel and he smiled a little more sincerely, his eyes seeming a brilliant blue for a second. He moved to lean against the chain link face, standing beside two third years that were looking intently at the plays going on.

Takeshi’s fingers hooked into the fence, leaning forward, his forehead nearly resting against it.

_This is what it’s like to have fun, isn’t it?_

/ | \

September ended and October rolled on through, the days just a little hotter, but the nights being much colder. Reborn tried not to think about his birthday coming up; instead he focused on Tsuna, trying to get the teen to replicate  _Hyper Dying Will Mode_ without the aid of a bullet.

Right now the brunet was not close enough to getting it, but it seemed calling on his flames had gotten easier and everything flowed much better than it had before, ‘Its like I was guessing before, but now I see more clearly, I think that bullet did more than what you probably thought it did,’ the teen had told him.

And Reborn wondered if it was perhaps the famed Vongola Tuition that had properly awakened in Tsuna or if it was in that moment of pure clarity that Tsuna noted the way his power moved through him and had stuck with him since.

“Let’s take a break,” Reborn called out and Tsuna nearly deflated as he sighed in relief. They had come back to the area where he and his sister had marked the forest and even Reborn would admit that though it still hadn’t recovered and the area looked like a disaster, there was a peace that hung about that area that was soothing.

Tsuna let himself fall back, not at all caring that his shirt would get dirty, “I think I’m close,” he said as Reborn stepped up beside him. “There’s just, it just feels like something is missing.”

Reborn hummed, poking Tsuna’s side hard enough that the teen jerked up and gave him a pitiful look, “I’m hungry.” The brunet only glanced up, shaking his head slightly as he pushed himself up onto his feet, staying crouched as he held his arms out for Reborn.

“Do you want me to carry you?”

Considerate, they always asked him things like that, with a shrug Reborn held out his arms and let himself be picked up, Tsuna moving him up on his shoulder so that he wouldn’t feel too coddled. They made their way out of the area in a soothing silence and it was as they were passing the Nature Center and nearing the older homes that Tsuna seemed to stumble over his steps.

Reborn didn’t need to look to know that Tsuna was frowning, not at all happy with whatever had come over him at the moment. The arcobaleno didn’t ask as Tsuna continued on and in as little as ten minutes they were around the market place. Reborn noted that the closer they had gotten, the tenser Tsuna had gotten and it wasn’t until they were around the open shopping center that a loud voice cut through the crowd.

“ _Voooii_ ,  _come back here scum!_ ”

Reborn was already dialing a number, jumping off Tsuna’s shoulder and hiding in the shadow of one of the tables outside a cake shop. Tsuna noticed the weight off his shoulder and tried to keep himself out of the way as people began to run away from the fight that broke out.

It was between a man with long silver hair, swinging about a long sword at a sandy haired teen, who was clutching something to his chest while trying to deflect the man’s sword with what looked like a boomerang. Tsuna was moving before he even realized he was, slipping his gloves from out of his pocket and onto his hands.

He was between the teen and the man, the man’s eyes widening, before a bloody thirsty smile appeared on his face. The man slashed down and Tsuna flared the fire in his hands to catch the sword and let it slide down his palms. The metal that wrapped around his palms sparked and as the sword lowered, Tsuna pressed his wrists together; his hands out in a sideways V ( _Kamehameha!_ ) and he willed his flames to flare and push forward.

The man jumped back before those flames could touch him, his eyes wild with a murderous glee, “ _Heeeyyy,_ ” he drawled out in Italian, eyes flicking down to his sword and noted that the edges were blackened, before moving back onto the brat before him. “ _Who are you brat?”_

“Sawada-dono!”

Tsuna brought his arms down, kind of ignoring the teen behind him as he kept his gaze on the man before him, “ _I am Tsunayoshi, who are you?_ ” The brunet honestly didn’t think it possible but the man’s smile became much sharper, the glint in his eyes much brighter than before.

“ _Superbia Squalo,”_ the man held his sword out at him, “ _I’m going to enjoy killing you brat.”_

Before the man – Squalo – could do anything, a gun shot rang out, making the man use his sword to deflect it. The fair skinned man turned those striking gray eyes on the small figure that stood off to the side and nearly froze, but instead stepped back, eyes moving back to Tsuna and realizing who exactly he was.

“ _So you’re the tenth?_ ”

Tsuna didn’t answer, he could feel himself so close to that state of mind, but he couldn’t focus on reaching out for it right now, not when there was a high chance that he could be killed by the dangerous man in front of him.

“ _Should have a little fun before roughing you up, or better yet just kill you now so you won’t be in the way later._ ”

“ _Picking on kids now Squalo?”_ a voice chimed in and the teen behind Tsuna seemed to relax. Tsuna himself felt relieved, especially by the scowl that replaced that grin on Squalo’s face. “ _What do you think you’re doing now, Squalo?”_

The man growled something unintelligible before lunging forward, he smacked Tsuna aside with the back of his right hand, the sword in his left hand coming up to slash at the sandy haired teen, who barely managed to jump back. Red bloomed across the teen’s front and he fell, the pain and exhaustion he felt too much for him.

“ _Oi what do you –“_

Tsuna didn’t even see the man move, when he crouched down to pick up the package the other teen had, not at all expecting him to move on to him and hold his sword at his throat.

“ _Let me go easily Bucking Horse and you won’t have a dead kid_.

There was a tense silence and Tsuna could make out Dino gritting his teeth, whip ready to be used, before it was lowered down.

“ _Heh, always too soft Cavallone,_ ” the man uttered as he pulled his weapon back and Tsuna winced as the blade nicked his throat, “ _See you fuckers.”_

And he was gone.

Tsuna held a hand up to his throat, not realizing how badly he was shaking. He didn’t notice how quickly Reborn and Dino moved, his tutor checking over him while the blond looked over the sandy haired teen. Tsuna’s eyes were wide and unseeing, one thought running through his head, one that Reborn could easily pick up on,

_This isn’t good, something bad, not good, not good,_ not good.

/ | \

Kawahira looked in the direction of the shops entrance, head tilting slightly as he felt the fleeing Rain – eager and anxious, but so ready to take on anything in its way – before dismissing it as nothing and turning back to his student.

“Don’t grind it all the way down,” he chastised, as he watched the girl go at it with the pestle. The amount of pressure she was putting down on the herbs lessened and after another grind, she settled the pestle down, taking the mortar with both hands as she brought shook it to level out the ground herbs inside.

“Why am I doing this again?”

“We’re making tea –“

“This doesn’t even smell good –“

Kawahira had moved to stand beside her, his fan being drawn from within the confines of his sleeves and used it to whack the girl over the head, “If you would not interrupt,” he chided, kneeling beside her as she sniffed in mock pain, which he ignored, “If you do recall, the hemlock I gave you to mix with your preferred tea leaves is poisonous,” he began to explain, taking the mortar out of her hand and checking it over himself.

With a nod of approval he set it down, pointing from the mortar to Natsume who grimaced as she realized what he was getting at, “You’ll be taking a cup of tea with me every time we meet so I can see and watch over you when you are under its affects.”

Natsume stuck her tongue out, face slightly scrunched and looking completely against the idea, “Isn’t that dangerous?”

He lightly swatted her with his fan, this time on her arm while clucking at her, “It’s time you’ve started building a tolerance to these sort of things, wouldn’t want to get poisoned off of your own stock now would you?”

Still not looking enthused to the idea she shrugged, giving into the idea as was always the case, “I suppose.”

“So we’ll begin with the hemlock and I would suggest you start looking up on daffodils and wolfsbane since those will be our next herbs we work with.”

“Daffodils?”

Kawahra hummed, pushing the mortar across to the other side of the table, in its place he slid one of his books in its place, not even bothering open it up himself and let his own flames do all the work.

“You do have the internet, no?” he asked, looking over the page he had turned to, his glasses sliding forward nearly falling off the tip of his nose (and completely ignoring the snickers coming from the teenager.) He ignored it and pushed on, “I never asked, but you did say you wiped away those people’s memories right?”

Natsume’s laughter cut off, eyes a little wide at the sudden question and the memories that brought back. “…more like I suggested they forget,” The white haired man noted her hesitance and didn’t push it, knowing that the Kokuyo Incident still made her uncomfortable because of certain memories, “They have a bit of my flame with them and I highly doubt they know enough about that to find out what’s different about them.”

Perhaps over certain memories, but she was getting better (she was also better at acting as if she was fine, since hadn’t acted out like she did little over a month ago).

“That Mukuro boy though,”

Her nose wrinkled in distaste at the name, “He might figure it out, though I think he’ll be more amused than anything else,” it was something to poke out while he was locked up, not like he could do anything from Vendice Prison.  “Probably would try to figure out his own way of doing it.”

Kawahira hummed, trusting both in her word and her own power. Having the odd combination of Mist and Sky would one day make her someone to be feared, what with the ability of creation and harmonization mixed together and her ideas and odd little way of taking inspiration from the little things.

Mists already had the ability to bring whatever they thought possible to life even if it was just an illusion, adding on top the harmonization, which not only solidified and made her illusions much more real and lasting, it let whatever flame that was weaker than her flock and fall to her Sky. 

“How about we have a little fun today?” he said, breaking himself out of his thoughts and slipping his book shut, letting the long book marker keep his place. He could already feel Natsume’s dubious look, but he brushed it off and set his hands flat against the table, tapping out an inane rhythm with the tips of his fingers.

“The game today will be,” lifting his hand slightly, fingers curling in, a swirl of flames appeared on the table, small figures rising from the indigo mist, “A story.”

_Intermission 9_

_There was a people long ago that lived long enough to forget the years they had been through, that held a power that was sacred to the Earth. The people were split, each offering a piece of themselves to appease the world they were brought into, showing the world that they took in the very elements that the Earth showed them._

_There was balance._

_There was peace._

_….and yet there was a want for more._

_It was slow, but the people were dying off, some falling to the eternal sleep, others becoming consumed by the Element they had represented, that they abided too. And from their pieces and ever burning flames, that scorched and tore away the Earth, arose a new being._

_One that was similar to the people and yet were so much weaker, in the years that it took one of the people to learn and forget, the new being died. Unlike the people though, the new being continued to create and grow, spreading across the Earth, while the people watched, some of them guiding hands to the new children of the world._

_The Earth did not flourish like it used too, the offerings from the people not enough to power the Mother of All, at least not with the new beings about, which took and took and took, never giving back._

/ | \

The flames turned almost black before dispersing themselves and Natsume was a little taken back, quickly looking up to her teacher whose earlier mellow expression had become something much darker. The usually plum eyes seemed to glow much brighter, before he blinked and they returned to normal, but Natsume wouldn’t be forgetting the dark shadow and bitter feelings that reflected in his pinched expression.

“Sensei?”

Kawahira breathed in deeply, giving himself time to calm and center himself. He brought his hands together, letting the sleeves of his yukata hide them so the girl wouldn’t see him twiddle his thumbs (an  _old_ nervous, angry tick he never got rid of).

“This will continue on at a later date,” He spoke, tenor voice much deeper than before, “I will send for you.”

Knowing when she was being dismissed and outright kicked out, Natsume stood up, bowing in Kawahira’s direction and moving to set the things she had used back to their place. The only thing she left out was the mortar, leaving that for Kawahira to deal with since he knew more of what to do with it.

“Thank you for today, Sensei.”

The corner of Kawahira’s mouth almost quirked up, knowing the girl sensed his slight upset and was acting as politely as possible to not push him over the edge. The light hit his glasses in a way that caused a glare, obscuring his eyes as they trained on Natsume’s retreating back.

When the bell to the front of the shop tinkered, Kawahira shook his head, letting his eyes slip shut as he lightly bowed his head forward.

Perhaps he was getting ahead of himself.

_Part 26: We Change Unintentionally_

When Natsume had gotten home, it was to find Bianchi and Nana speaking in low voices, her mother sounding oddly frustrated, while the magenta haired woman tried to soothe her. The golden brown haired teen was about to go up to them to see what was up, only to receive a rather stern look from Bianchi who signaled to her with her mouth to go on upstairs.

Natsume merely pressed her lips together and nodded, quietly making her way towards her room. Passing by Tsuna’s room she heard her brother’s voice, slightly hysterical sounding and Reborn’s high pitched one telling him to calm down.

“We have about a week, before they realize they have the fakes, maybe another day or two before  _he_ makes his way down here to try to settle whatever it is he thinks is going on,” that was Dino’s voice.

Usually she would have barged in, would have gone to either Tsuna or Reborn to explain what was happening –  _why was Mama so upset? Why was Tsuna being hysterical? Who was the ‘he’ they were talking about?_

Natsume stared at the little fish plaque they had put up on her brother’s door many years ago, her expression blank as she tried to process and gather what was going on.

Why was everyone acting weird?

First Kawahira and now here at home –  _mew_ – the light chirp from her cat brought her gaze down to meet unblinking amber staring up at her expectantly. She knelt down, holding her hand out for Emi to sniff and waited for the black cat to bump her head against her hand before she picked her up.

She glanced at her brother’s door once more, before she treated back to her room, locking the door behind her and then made her way to her bed. Emi leaned her head against her shoulder and usually Natsume would have been babying the cat, but as the mattress sunk beneath her weight, she could feel Tsuna’s flames increasing, calling out to hers.

Natsume breathed in as deeply as she could, ribcage expanding as her lungs took in as much air to the point it almost hurt because of how uncomfortable it was. She was trying to stay calm herself ( _because when Tsuna got like this, someone had to stay level headed, if not there would be panic and from what little she had seen downstairs, her mother did not need to fret over the two of them_.)

She didn’t notice how the room seemed to warp around her, the darkening rays of sunlight casting an odd green color across the room, but she did realize that she felt disconnected, away from her brother’s panic, the uncomfortable feeling twisting in her gut ceasing for an instance.

The teen lay back, turning on her side, eyes slipping shut, though still keeping the feline close to her, stroking the back of the cat’s neck lightly. She focused on the feel of Emi’s soft fur, on the mind numbingly simple task of just petting.

She released the breath she had been holding, while Emi began to squirm in her grasp. She peered through her lashes, letting the cat go and the feline stretched up, its tail flicking and almost hitting Natsume in the face when it climbed over its owner’s side and looked over the edge of the bed.

“Emi,” the teen sighed out, not once noticing the change in the room as it all returned to normal; the cat on the other hand blinked, curious and wanting to poke its nose at the odd energy that seemed to stay behind.

Ignoring the cats odd behavior, Natsume pulled one of her pillows so she could bury her face in it and absently wondered why everyone was being so weird today.

Even if weird wasn’t the right word, it was close enough to what she wanted to mean.

( _It was an odd day, things happened – some emotionally and mentally (Kawahira and Nana) and the others a mixture of that and physical pain (Tsuna._ )

/ | \

Tsuna didn’t wait the next morning for Natsume and he felt kind of bad leaving his sister behind like that, but he couldn’t stand to be in the house that morning.

He could tell his father was home and he didn’t want to see Iemitsu smiling and acting as if everything was fine, to see his  _Mama_ nervously tinkering around, trying to find a way to both berate her husband and welcome him at the same time.

Tsuna could feel Reborn shadowing him, though he couldn’t exactly pinpoint where the pint sized hitman was. Surprisingly enough instead of that putting him on edge, he felt himself relax. He clutched at the strap of his bag a little tighter, wondering when Reborn had become someone he was willing to be comfortable around when the tutor was more than willing to put him (and at times his sister) in his place through violent means.

Tsuna stopped, his hand coming up to grasp the ring that hung around his neck and wondered why he was still being put through his farce of training, when there was another candidate for the position.

( _It had been explained numerous times that Xanxus wasn’t a viable candidate, though nobody would say exactly why_.)

“If you stand around too long Hibari will find you for skipping school,” that was Reborn’s voice and Tsuna looked down to see the hitman standing beside him, hands tucked into his suit’s jacket and looking at him with the same bland expression when he thought he was being silly over something.

Tsuna let the ring fall back underneath his shirt, the metal warm against his chest. The brunet was in deep thought, looking as if he was thinking over one too many things (and he probably was) before he crouched down.

“What if I don’t want to fight?”

Reborn didn’t bat an eye at the question, “You’ll have to fight if it comes down to it.”

“I don’t see the point,” Tsuna began and Reborn could see where it was going, he and Dino having already gone through this with the brunet already the night before. “If he really wants this and is capable, why not –“

“Because he was not chosen,” Reborn cut him off, “And I have not received word from Nono to negate  _his_ and your father’s choice.”

Tsuna’s mouth pulled down, looking as if he had smelled something sour at the mention of his father, “What if I just hand it –“

“Enough, this is no longer up for debate,” Reborn held the brown eyed teen’s gaze a moment longer and it was the teen who looked away from the intense stare, “You will train and you will be prepared for anything that comes our way, understood?”

And there was the infamous pout that expressed exactly how the teen felt about that, “Why go through all that, when we can avoid anything by just –“

“Giving Xanxus the ring half and the right as Vongola Decimo will be equivalent to you signing your death certificate,” Tsuna flinched, could feel Reborn’s patience having ended with the matter at hand. “Not only will you forsake your life, but your family and your friends,  _that’s_ the kind of man Xanxus is, he will leave no chance of anyone else making a grab for the title.”

Reborn’s hand came up to pinch the bridge of his nose, already knowing Tsuna’s next words, “It doesn’t matter if you promise, swear an oath, or whatever to him, Xanxus will make it final by putting you and yours six feet in the ground.”

He heard Tsuna’s teeth clack when the boy snapped his mouth shut at that, not having been told at all last night about how far Xanxus would go to ensure the title of Decimo.

“…That can’t happen.”

Tsuna’s eyes were a lighter brown than before when he looked back at Reborn, who barely refrained from smirking at the change in his student, “Oh? How sure of that –“

“I won’t let it happen.”

Reborn harrumphed and gave the teen a nod, turning around and beginning to make his way back to the Sawada home, “Training starts after school,” he threw over his shoulder, more than a little pleased at the turnaround.

Tsuna would make a good boss one day; Reborn would make damn sure of that.

/ | \

When lunch came around that day only the boys and Tsuna came together, the brunet realizing then that Natsume hadn’t come to school. That was quickly pushed aside when he noticed the thin silver chain’s that Takeshi and Hayato wore around their necks, he didn’t have to see to know what was tucked beneath their shirts.

“Did you guys get anything strange recently?”

Takeshi nodded, an easy smile curving his mouth as he pulled the chain off his head, a familiar ring half, though it had a blue gem on it instead of an orange one like Tsuna’s. Hayato didn’t even bother; he was a happy jittery mess as he leaned forward, seeming to want to reach for Tsuna, but holding himself back.

“I am honored Tenth,” the silver haired teen began, jade eyes bright, and Tsuna could practically read him like an open book, could feel the teen’s own flames roiling to and fro from the sheer emotion he felt.

Tsuna swallowed, because wasn’t this a slap in the face, to know that his own friends had been dragged along with him in this ( _who else would be brought into this? Takeshi and Hayato, they were close, his best friends, and he knew they would do anything to help him, but why did they have to go down with him?_ ) This was a…family problem wasn’t it?

So why his friends?

/ | \

Natsume knew she was late for school and yet she still took her time getting dressed. It wasn’t until Bianchi came knocking on her door, all sweet smiles and asking her if she wouldn’t mind accompanying her to the market with the kids.

“But school?” her argument wasn’t very strong and Bianchi gave her a knowing look.

“It’s just for today, no harm no foul,” Bianchi countered, leaning against her doorway as Natsume went back in and changed out of her uniform. A gray baseball tee was slipped on and she had to hop around a little to get her jeans on, but she was ready to go.

Heading downstairs, the room to her mother’s room was closed and she could hear voices from within, it was Lambo’s squealing and running up to her and wrapping an arm around her leg that distracted her, “ _Ane’s_ going to the market with us?”

“Yep,” she ran a hand through his curly hair, the wild mass of hair having been maintained through her mother’s sheer effort, “Let me get my shoes on and I’ll carry you if you want.”

Lambo nodded, almost tripping over his own feet as he sat down near the door and put on his own shoes, Natsume sitting beside him as she reached out for the black high tops and began to put them on. Finishing that she watched Lambo slightly struggle with his own laces, she poked the kid in the side, getting his attention and she pointed at his laces, “Bunny Ears, then cross them,” his stubby fingers did so, “Put one of the ears through the little hole there and pull.”

“Like that?” Lambo asked, “Not tight enough,  _Ane_.”

“I’ll do them for you,” and she did, going through the motions slowly so he could follow along so he could do them next time.

The pair sat around awhile longer for Bianchi to show up with the other two; Natsume got to her feet, though she stayed crouching, giving Lambo a chance to climb on her back. When the kid wrapped his arms around her neck, she stood up, hooking her arms underneath his legs.

Bianchi opened the front door, ushering the two children out in front of her and waited for Natsume to exit before closing the door shut behind her. Pushing through the front gate and making a right, the group walked on for a little bit, the children beginning to chatter amongst themselves, Lambo sometimes getting a little over excited and yelling into her ear.

“So,” Natsume began, “What’s happening?”

“Reborn asked me yesterday to explain to your mother what might be happening within the next couple of days,” Bianchi answered, “Your father arrived early this morning and they have been talking the last twenty minutes.”

Glancing at Natsume, Bianchi noted the puzzled expression, “So what’s happening?” the teen asked again. Bianchi sighed, having hoped to not be the one to explain it to the girl, but seeing as she had gone straight to bed when she got home last night; Natsume was the last of the Sawada’s to be in the know of what was happening.  

With Iemitsu getting chewed out for all the years’ worth of lying that he had done (even if it had been in the best interest of his family), Reborn making sure that Tsuna continued on and kept a level head from here on out, it had fallen on Bianchi to talk to the girl (even though Dino would have done a much better job, the blond had disappeared off to who knows where.)

“I’ll explain everything, but I’m not sure how well I’ll do.”

The girl gave her a kind smile, in a way understanding the assassin’s feelings, “Just you telling me what the he – ah - I mean what’s going on will be great,” Bianchi bit her lower lip to keep herself from chuckling at Natsume’s mid-sentence correction and nodded instead to show she understood.

“We women have to keep together,” Bianchi added, “If the men can’t be there for us, we’ll have to be there for each other.”

_(I’m here if you need anything.)_

Natsume emitted a sound eerily reminiscent of Tsuna’s ‘hie’, though it was more a light giggle than anything else, “Thank you Bianchi.”

/ | \

When Iemitsu arrived early in the morning, Nana had not been wide awake enough to react properly. She opened the door for the blond man, the bright smile and big hugs he was known for giving not at all present as he gave her a small smile.

She had reacted as usual, a surprised sound escaping her as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her height. She kissed his cheek, before burying her face in his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.

“I’m home Nana.”

“Iemitsu,” she sniffled out and it was like in that moment everything that had been happening, what her children had told her, the things she had found out came to her and she stepped back, gazing tearily at him. “ _Why_?”

She could feel his fingers curl into her clothes, his already soft gaze becoming much sadder looking and  _oh dear she did not like her husband like this_. He leaned forward, kissing her forehead before he placed his against hers, “I will explain everything to you, I promise,” his hazel green eyes burned bright and she knew that he would.

She licked her lips and nodded slowly, “But?”

He gave a slight chuckle, “I have to give Tsunayoshi something first.”

Nana was quiet, lips pressed into a thin line, “Does it have to do with what happened yesterday?”

“Yes.”

Nana took a deep breath, stepping out of Iemitsu’s hold and clasping her hands in front of her, looking from him and then flicking her gaze upstairs, “You know where he is, I’ll be in my room.” Iemitsu watched as she walked away and wondered how much he should worry. He made his way upstairs, his footsteps light, the door to Tsuna’s room barely creaking as he opened it and stepped in.

Something in his chest stirred as he watched his son snoozing away, limbs askew and yet none of them hanging off the bed ( _his little tuna-fish always had the fear that something would grab his feet if he let them dangle over the edge_ ). Without missing a beat, he strode in, pulling the chain and ring in his pocket out and slipping it over his son’s head ( _perhaps his future boss._ )

Iemitsu straightened up, not letting himself linger too long, he gave Reborn a nod of acknowledgment before he exited and made his way downstairs, heading straight to Nana’s room. The door closed behind him and the atmosphere seemed to change, no longer was it the light, warm and loving home he was used to, when he saw Nana, it was a completely different woman.

He could see why Zack had warned him once  _and only once_  that Nana was not someone you wanted to upset; a sweet woman she may be, but she did grow up alongside young thugs that ended up becoming a controlling group in the Eastern part of Oahu.

She may have only skimmed the top of the underworld, but she had seen enough to at least understand.

“I am not upset that you are part of the Mafia, Iemitsu,” her voice was smooth, her gaze unusually stern as she looked at him. Her arms stayed at her side, so he knew he had a chance to approach her and for her to listen to him. “I am upset and beyond hurt that you would  _lie_ to me about it.”

She didn’t move from where she stood beside the bed, Iemitsu was the one to move forward, and still hekept his distance, now standing close enough to reach out for her but still give her space.

“Nana, I –“

She cocked her head slightly to the side, a brows rising, “Our children had to tell me Iemitsu, our children who have been dragged into this.”

“I completely understand, Nana,” Iemitsu sighed out, because hadn’t he been in such a situation once. His grandmother for all that she had raised and taught him, never really spoke about what she had done in her youth ( _in all honesty he assumed they were all stories, not her actual life_ ), his mother – well Saigo had never really wanted him at all. “I thought to try my best to keep you all from this, because I know what it’s like,” he swallowed, but he didn’t drop his gaze from Nana’s, taking in her piercing look.

“To be dragged into this,  _this,”_ he gestured out with his right hand, “This was the last thing I ever wanted to happen.”

“Iemitsu,” the tone in her voice made him straighten up and he wondered if Zack’s nickname for his wife had more than one meaning, “I have been honest with you; the least you could have done was be honest with me.”

“I – Nana,” Iemitsu let his eyes slip shut, hands coming up to rub at his face, before pulling them away and clasping his hands in front of him, “What can I do to fix this?”

Nana looked at her husband, not at all realizing how her eyes flickered a slight green before reverting to her usual brown, Iemitsu noticed it and Zack’s nickname for her rang in his head ‘ _like lightning she is –‘_

_“_ I want to see my children grow and live long, fulfilling lives; I want you to make sure that is possible.”

‘ _She comes and goes like a gentle storm,’_

“I want my family to be safe _.”_

_‘But she will strike like lightning to ensure her people’s safety and her own.’_

/ | \

Bianchi had left Natsume at the park near the markets with the kids, letting the girl take in what she had just been told, while the magenta haired woman went in to look for a few ingredients that she knew Nana was running low on in her kitchen.

“Natsume-san?”

The teen who had been staring listlessly at the sky trying to figure out  _what the absolute fuck was her life now_ ; let her head loll to the right, eyeing the eight year old in front of her.

“Natsume is fine, Fuuta-kun.”

The boy nodded a bit meekly, hands fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, “Can I sit beside you?”

“Sure,” she answered, lifting her head up properly so that she could actually look at Fuuta without giving herself a headache. They still didn’t talk much, he was closer to Tsuna than he was with her, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

Even if the kid was a little weird ( _really who was she to judge?)_

Fuuta kicked out his legs, staring in the direction where Lambo and I-pin were climbing around the small jungle gym, “Are you scared of me?”

“Eh?”

The question had caught her off guard (her mind was already somewhere else so she was very thrown off). The kid smiled, eyes closing with the motion, “My readings for you show that you’re high in the list of people who are wary of me.”

“…Ah…”

“But that’s fine, because you’re also high in people who are willing to protect those they care about, you’re even above Tsuna-nii!”

“…Fuuta….”

“Yes?”

“How  _exactly_ do you get answers like that.”

The light haired brunet perked up, almost like a puppy, “I just ask questions!” he responded, “It’s nice to be able to ask whatever I want, even if it’s silly, before I came here,”  _with you and your family_ “I had to be careful and now,” he gave her a brilliant smile, “I just feel so free.”

“I’m glad you feel that way?”

“I never did thank you.”

Fuuta shuffled about, facing her and settling on his knees before he leaned in and wrapped his arms around her neck, “Thank you for saving me.”

She didn’t even get a chance to respond as he pulled away and moved off the bench, running off to head back to where Lambo and I-pin were, the tips of his ears a bright red. He stopped a bit a ways though, turning to look over his shoulder at her, his eyes looking distant, “ _Everything has a way of coming out, how will you fair in that?”_

And the kid continued walking as if he just hadn’t done that.

Natsume stared, not realizing that she was putting her feet up so she could hug her knees and rest her chin on top of them.  _That_ was why she felt weird about Fuuta, the kid could probably rank any and everything, but the power he had (that he was capable of having) was what set her on edge.

She shouldn’t be judging though, on what she considered unnatural, it’s not like what she could do was a regular thing anyone else could pick up (few at least had the chance here, but in her old life….well…only in her dreams).

/ | \

Tsuna didn’t come home after school let out; he wasn’t home by dinner time either. Dinner was awkward and tense,  _papa_ tried to smile through it as usual but there’s something that’s bothering him,  _mama_ looks as if she had been eating something sour.

Lambo, I-pin and Fuuta,  _bless_ them.

They were the true saviors and had managed to pull an actual smile from  _mama_  and a hair ruffle or two from  _papa._ Then the three kids were dragged off for their baths and it was just Iemitsu and Natsume.

“How’s my little girl?” Iemitsu finally asked, breaking the odd silence hanging over them as he and his daughter did the dishes; him washing them and Natsume drying them.

A menial task, but one that definitely kept his hands busy and the motions were so repetitive it was nice to relax and just let his mind  _not think._

The dish Natsume set down on the rack clacked against the others at it tilted back a little, the girl shrugging her shoulders as she picked out a cup that had already been rinsed out.

“School was just as fun as ever.”

“Oh?”

“Mhmm,” she hummed, head tilting to the side, “I have friends and classes aren’t bad,” she added on, chewing on her lip and ripping off a piece of skin that she had been picking at her earlier. “Also the volleyball team is fun, we start playing in about two weeks I think…..”

She trailed off, because she wanted to ask if he would be here for that, but she knew that whatever was coming up would be taking up the most of her father’s attention and as soon as it was over, he would be heading out to Italy again.

Iemitsu already had an idea of where this was heading and sighed a bit, letting the dish he had been scrubbing at sink in the sudsy water.

“Natsume,”

“Yes?”

“…..I’ll try.”

That earned him an odd little smile. She set the cup down on the rack before turning to look at him and he kind of wished Tomiko-baasan was alive to see her great-grandchildren (even if one was completely ignoring him.)

Even if his hands were wet he ruffled his daughter’s hair, which earned him a rather pouty glare and a whine of “ _Papa_.” But she leaned in, letting her forehead rest against his chest and muttered a soft ‘ _thank you for trying.’_

Iemitsu wouldn’t lie, but he had dearly missed the feel of his children’s flames – even if Tsuna’s had barely brushed against his and seemed to recoil, he understood that his son was at that stage of rebellion and he hadn’t been a good father.

Because what good father would throw his son into the Mafia?

Natsume’s was hesitant, but she still accepted his and he was glad for it.

“Hey  _Papa…_ ”

“Hmm?”

“No more lying or surprises.”

That got a surprised laugh out of him, “I promise.”

“Good,” she paused; pulling back a little and the pouty glare didn’t look as adorable as it had a couple seconds ago. There was that tight lipped smile and narrowed eyes (and  _dammit_ didn’t that look take him back to the time when Tomiko was quietly contemplating what do with him after he had broken her favorite vase). “Because I’ll kick your ass if you do.”

That didn’t surprise him at all.

So he just pulled her into a tighter embrace, completely ignoring her whine.

“We have a lot of talking to do then don’t we?”

_Intermission 10_

_I tried to explain everything to the best of my ability._

_My life, the reasoning why I never said anything (I had wanted them to be safe, I didn’t want this world to touch them, the only light in my life). I didn’t want to admit it, but I was terrified of how my daughter would take this – I already knew how Tsunayoshi and Nana felt – but Natsume, she had always been hard to read._

_(Why them, why Tsuna, why not someone else, those had been difficult to answer, even I still find myself trying to give myself a good, honest answer._

_I find the ‘there was no other choice’ rather lacking and I wonder if maybe I should have fought harder. Another one of my mistakes, perhaps the most major one of them all.)_

_Judging by the fact that she was willing to talk – unlike Tsuna who would probably try to stay out of the house as much as possible – I knew I still had a chance to correct whatever wrongs I had done._

_“The rings are being sent out too early,” I admitted, hands wrapped around the mug of coffee I had made. “I honestly don’t really know what’s happening, but I have a feeling Xanxus has something to do with it.”_

_“Bianchi mentioned a man…Squalo…that he attacked Tsuna and some other boy…”_

_I sighed, one hand coming up to run through my hair and messing it up more than it already was, “Basil, and yes, Squalo, he’s one of the main reasons why I’m thinking Xanxus is a part of all this.”_

_What else could the Varia officer chasing down his apprentice and making off with the fake rings be up to? It was no secret to the Vongola that Xanxus had wanted to be named Decimo, especially after all of his brother’s had been killed off._

_But then the young man had lost it and attacked Vongola itself._

_I sighed, hand coming to rub down my face._

_“What it seems to be is that Xanxus may or may not be taking matters into his own hands,” I continued on, not looking at Natsume as I looked into my coffee (Xanxus should of course be locked away wherever the Ninth had him) “And once he finds out that the rings Squalo has taken are fake, he’ll be coming down here himself.”_

_I looked up, staring head on into my daughter’s hazel eyes, “You were not considered a candidate for your brother’s guardians, Natsume, if a fight ensues, you will not be a part of it.”_

_She didn’t twitch or show much, she just sipped at her own drink, before nodding._

_I had expected for her to at least argue, not to take in stride. Something wasn’t right here and I thought over Reborn’s notes when he would send them in, how he was suspicious of whoever Natsume had found to train her._

_I thought to ask, but I knew she wouldn’t say anything._

_My silly and very stubborn daughter was my daughter and could be as tightlipped about her secrets as well as I could._

_“You will be careful.”_

_Her answer was to sip on her drink, before setting it down and blinking innocently at me._

_“I have no clue what you’re talking about Papa.”_

_“Of course my little sunshine doesn’t.”_

/ | \

Tsuna climbed through the window of his room instead of using the front door, huffing a little as he did so because he was run through. Reborn hopped down from his shoulder, about to tell the teen he still had school tomorrow, only to grab Leon, who turned into a gun and pointed it at the figure on the bed.

“How rude, Reborn,” Natsume spoke up, hand held up in front of her face, palm full of purplish blue flames that made her look washed out. Leon shifted back, flicking his tongue out lazily at the girl before scampering up Reborn’s arm and settling nicely between the hitman’s shoulder and neck.

“Tsume,” Tsuna yawned out, blinking tiredly at his sister who was honestly giving him some strange vibes.

( _Then again the last time she had light cast like that against her face, she had had a lamp and was retelling him one of the horror movies that they had both accidentally seen_  (the movie had begun and once they realized it wasn’t a friendly movie, they had been glued to the couch, unable to do anything but watch and hold onto the other tightly).

_Why she had been retelling it when she had been just as scared as him, he didn’t remember, but he thinks it might have been because he had hid beneath her bed and pulled at her feet_.)

“There’s a rumor that somethings happening.”

The ring that lay against his chest was warm, had never stopped feeling warm and he had honestly forgotten about it until she brought it up.

“Yeah and?”

Tsuna shrugged, moving forward and sitting himself on his bed, undoing his laces and taking off his shoes, followed by his socks. The brunet wiggled his toes before looking at his sister, whose face was too blank to read even for him. He frowned, “What’s wrong?”

She seemed to be looking for something and it made him rather uncomfortable to be under her intense gaze. Something in her features shifted and she looked sad, he reached out to grab the hand that she was using as a light source – he had expected for the flames to burn him, but instead they just curled around his hand.

It tickled.

It wasn’t like Mukuro’s which had felt dark and tainted; there was a lightness to hers that he wouldn’t have expected. The fire curled up his arm and around his neck and he could make out the small head of a fox before it stopped existing.

Tsuna looked back at Natsume, who looked as if she wanted to say something; instead she pulled her hand away, standing up as she did so. She looked between him and Reborn, who had been watching the interaction between the two.

“You’ll let me know if you need help….right?”

As much as she wanted to interfere, this didn’t include her anymore.

Tsuna licked his lips, eyes flicking over to Reborn before going back to his sister, who caught the look. The smile she gave him was fake and yet it crinkled the corners of her eyes as if it was one of her honest ones.

“Tsume…”

“Goodnight Tsuna.”

And she was out before she could find out his answer.

Because she already knew by the minute frown that crossed his face when she asked, that he didn’t want her to do any of that. ( _He didn’t need her, he didn’t want her fighting anymore, at least not on his behalf.)_

Natsume closed the door to her room, leaning back against it and let out a shaky breath.

“Time to see what comes for us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This is as proofread as its going to get. So if anything pops out and doesn't seem to fit, just lemme know and I'll fix it up.
> 
> Reminder the Kawahira of this chapter is current, compared to the one in the last chapter, which is a Kawahira that was still relatively knew to Natsume's presence (and thus was only a mere curiousity and not really someone he actually cared about). I should also really start making notes of what I want to say, but agh, I always seem to forget.
> 
> Until Next Time~
> 
> Sorugao


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or stuff.**

**Word Count:** 7186

* * *

 

_Part 27: We Had Time_

Friday, Saturday.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday.

With the days passing by the less she saw of Tsuna, the more time she spent talking with her father, the stronger her mother’s hugs became. This whole  _Ring Thing_ that was going on was apparently becoming a much bigger deal, not only were Takeshi and Hayato disappearing off to who knows where, but Ryohei  had been very come and go at the house.

Natsume rubbed her face, lightly flinching at the tenderness when her hand brushed over her nose. An irritable sound left her before she continued on getting dressed, being the last one to leave the locker room.

She had been warned today by Mirai (the Vice-Captain) that if she didn’t start focusing she wouldn’t be in the game rotation and  _dammit_ she had been working too hard to  _not_ play.

Hana had already asked her over lunch if she was fine, noticing how spacy she was, meanwhile Kyoko had wondered aloud what exactly her brother had started doing because he was coming home at odd hours with a small child in tow.

“School hours are over,” a deep voice spoke up, and had it been over a year ago she may have been surprised, but though Kusakabe’s steps were light and barley heard, she could still hear how his heel lightly dragged against the gravel.

Natsume looked at the taller teen, who quirked one brow at her, “Quick question Kusakabe-san,” the tall teen only blinked and she continued on, “What has Hibari-san been up too?”

Kusakabe looked as if he was about to say something, instead his eyes flicked over to the roof of the school, before looking back at her, “He’s busy.”

She made a light popping sound with her mouth, nodding because she kind of understood (and knew, kind of sort of) what exactly was keeping the head prefect busy.

“Well I guess I’ll be going then.”

And she left.

Instead of making the usual right to go home, Natsume went left.

Now usually she would have gone over to bother Kawahira, but the way he had gotten at the end of the last lesson made her think that through. Instead of making a right at the third light that would take her to the market district, she continued onward.

In ten minutes she found herself nearing a spot she hadn’t been to in a good couple weeks. The peacefulness of the area was still there and she let her senses stretch out, her flames coming out and floating above the ground like its namesake.

She sat down, pulling her knees up so she could rest her chin on them, one arm wrapping around them, while her right hand came up, palm up and fingers curling in as if she was beckoning something forward. From the mist rose an animal larger than Emi, its tail flicking to and fro before it bounded off through the mist and began to search the area.

Reborn and Tsuna should be around here somewhere along with that other kid ( _her father’s apprentice)._ She wondered if she would be able to see or get her creations memories; she was able to use them to communicate, so receiving whatever they had seen shouldn’t be too different right?

/|\

When the little fox she had created came back to her, it melted under her touch and she felt for a moment if she could recall what the creature had seen.

Not much came to her and she decided to leave that for now; pushing herself up she began to make her way out towards her home. She huffed a little as she wrapped her arms around herself to stave off a bit of the chill that was beginning to settle.

Coming home a little later was not unusual for her, her mother and brother rarely commented on it when she did, but it seemed her father wasn’t at all pleased, even though it was barely past seven ( _time sure does fly when you don’t bother paying attention to it at all._ )

Iemitsu didn’t say anything though, only looking her over to make sure she was fine, before lightly flicking her forehead, “You should call to let us know you’ll be out late.”

Her mother clucked her tongue at them, just having come down from upstairs a basket filled with dirty linens in her arms, “Tsu-chan is responsible, there’s no need for that as long as she’s not out too late on a school night.”

Natsume was about to add in that Tsuna was usually the one that stayed out late (or the fact that she really didn’t have the phone seeing as the one Dino had left behind had suffered a terrible fate when Lambo had accidentally knocked it out of Tsuna’s hands and it fell into his cup of water), but decided that maybe that wouldn’t help whatever was happening between her parents.

“She may be, but there are people out there who aren’t –“

“Oh? Exactly who are these people Iemitsu –“

Feeling uncomfortable, Natsume bailed out of there as quickly as possible, heading upstairs and to her room. She could still hear her parent’s voices, though they weren’t loud or being rude with one another, they were talking, and from what she could make out her mother was making rather barbed remarks.

_‘I know what to expect of this town more than you, so what say you Iemitsu?’_

_‘Yes you do, but I just don’t feel comfortable with the kids being out this late especially with there being a high possibility of someone trying something.’_

_‘_ This  _is why I stayed out of what my cousins were doing; no good or peaceful mind comes from this life.’_

_‘…..I never wanted this for any of you.’_

_‘I’m sure, but secrets tend to get rather nasty when you hold them too close don’t they?’_

It reminded Natsume of the times when her mother would have to show up to the parent teacher conferences in elementary school with the other parents when either child (mostly her) had gotten in a physical fight with the others.

She almost felt sorry for her father, he had kind of brought this on himself and if he had to deal with a snippy Nana until all her mother’s pent up anger was out, then so be it (her mother would feel bad, because she disliked letting her anger get the best of her, but really who in their right mind would push the calm woman’s buttons?)

Her cat chirped at her, pulling Natsume from her thoughts and she finally dropped her school and gym bag on her bed.

“You want a snack, Emi?”

The amber eyed cat stared at her unblinkingly, taking a seat right where it stood while its owner walked over to her desk and opened up one of the drawer’s. A yellow baggie was pulled out, the packaging crinkling as opened it and picked out a big fat treat and held out to the cat, who only starred at the offered treat.

“Just take it out of my hand.”

This time the cat blinked, its paw lifting up to tap at it before swatting it off Natsume’s palm and sending the fish-flavored snack under her desk. Hearing the clattering sound it made across the floor, the cat was chasing after it; completely missing her owner’s bemused expression.

“My cat’s an idiot,” she realized, as she watched the black cat  _play_ with the treat instead of eat it. Buzzing her lips, Natsume decided not to think too much on her cat’s silliness and instead headed towards her closet where she pulled out her night clothes.

Without further distraction (at least ones that didn’t include her accidentally eavesdropping on her parents or musing over her cat), she headed towards the bathroom. Before she did though, she peeked into the spare bedroom and saw both Lambo and I-pin knocked out on their futons, with Fuuta sitting not too far from them in a beanbag chair reading a book.

The nine year old looked up and gave her a big smile, which she noted was missing a tooth or two. She smiled back, though hers was probably more tired, but she did wiggle her fingers at him, hand underneath her chin as she did so.

“ _Goodnight,_ Natsume.”

“ _Goodnight to you too, Fuuta,”_ she responded, her Italian accented and a little bit fumbled (she blamed that on Jasmine, Spanish though it was similar to Italian was not the same and it still tripped her up if she didn’t think about it.)

The kid nodded in approval, so she probably didn’t fail to badly – it was just a phrase so really she shouldn’t have done too bad at all – before returning to his book and she closed the door, though left it open enough so that there was a slight crack.

With that curiosity sated (because the kids usually were running rampant or doing book stuff that her mother brought up) Natsume headed to the bathroom, were she would happily soak away the next hour or so.

Later on she would realize that even though she had had a slight aversion to Fuuta, the kid was growing on her.

(Much,  _much_ later she would realize that the kid actually looked up to her and actually strived to be like her – which she would question, because she was an  _asshole_  or at least she thought of herself as such.)

/ | \

It was Wednesday morning and Tsuna was getting ready for school.

He could probably get away with missing today seeing as he had been going the last few days, even after the hellish training that Reborn had been subjecting him too ( _and Basil, who knew the other teen could put up so much of a fight?_ )

Finishing getting dressed, he opened the door to his room only to run into his sister, whose hair was in slight waves and was looking very disgruntled with the feline that was trailing after her.

“Morning,” he said to her, receiving a response back, though she did pause on the first step down as she cast him a rather puzzled look.

“You’re still here?” her voice was a little deep from just having woken up, making her sound just a little bit off to him.

“Reborn let me sleep in,” he answered, following her downstairs, noting that she was half ready. “Says I need at least a day to cool everything down.”

“That baby is wise,” Natsume responded and Tsuna could feel the corner of his lips quirk up at the quip. The next couple minutes passed, Tsuna unknowingly following his sister as she let her cat out and refilled Emi’s food and water bowl.

The pair made their way back upstairs (or more like Tsuna followed after his sister like a little duckling) this time into Natsume’s room, where Tsuna let himself fall face first into her bed, while she changed her long sleeve shirt for her uniform.

He appreciated the normality of it, especially when she lightly dug her knuckles into his side, “Hey flamethrower,  _leggo._ ”

“ _Have you even brushed your teeth?”_

His sister made an exasperated sound, “Who do you think I am, Lambo or something?”

Tsuna barely managed to keep from frowning at the six year old’s name as he pushed himself up and off her bed, “Or something,” he responded with, taking the jacket she held out to him ( _why did she have his school jacket?_ )

“Yours is warmer.”

“..did I say that aloud?”

“Uh-huh.”

Tsuna took his jacket from her, her own already on and he pulled his on as he made his way downstairs, “Packets are due Friday,” Natsume said as they walked towards the door, easily slipping on her shoes, “Have you been working on them?”

“.. _maybe_.”

Natsume shook her head, opening up the front door, “Oh what are we going to do with you  _No Good Tsuna._ ”

He stuck his tongue out as he passed her, caught her rolling her eyes, “Careful  _Clumsy Natsume_ , don’t trip over the welcoming mat.”

It had been something that hadn’t happened since they were in elementary school, where they would each call each other the name’s the other kids would give them – because they didn’t mean anything, they were just names.

Reborn watched as the pair walked off, Iemitsu beside him leaning forward against the short gate that led towards the back, “What do you think?”

Iemitsu didn’t respond right away, merely taking in the feel and the flow – of the situation at hand and his children, “Everything pushes and pulls, but it will never tear.”

Reborn stared at the blond, before looking back in the direction the twin’s had left in, “How sure are you about that?” The Sawada’s would not be the first family he had seen be pulled apart, loathed as he was to see that happen, but even the best of them fell apart when there was too much pressure.

“My wife, my children,” Iemitsu began, a hand coming up to rub over his goatee, “Stubborn and will put up a fight, but family sticks Reborn, no matter what, because if we don’t have each other –“

“Then we have nothing,” Nana finished, coming up from behind him, arms crossed beneath her chest. Iemitsu nodded, turning so that he wasn’t giving his wife his back. She looked between the two, before her gaze settled on Iemitsu and Nana smiled ( _and maybe he was a little scared, because Nana looked like she was about to pounce and beat him.)_ “And really dear, you think I’m stubborn?”

The woman shook her head as she walked towards the gate, stopping so she could just reach up and pat Iemitsu on the cheek, “Maybe just a little bit.” The light pinch that accompanied the end of that sentence didn’t really hurt, but it could have gone much worse.

Nana pushed through, about to spend some time in her garden.

Both Mafioso watched her go, “I can see where the kids get that from.”

Iemitsu was lightly rubbing at his cheek with his left hand and nodded slowly, a dopey smile curling the corners of his mouth, “Yeah,” the blond sighed out.

It was one of the many things he loved about her.

_Part 28: They Arrive_

Leviathan was the first to start moving around the town of Namimori, the others had no issue dragging their feet and it slightly irked him, because these people ( _fucking kids_ ) were already playing games with them.

The chase that they had Squalo go on and then getting duped with fake rings, what else would these brats and the people watching over them come up with?

“ _Commander Levi, the guardian with the lightning half of the ring has been spotted_ ,” came over the bud in his ear. The swarthy skinned man couldn’t help feel smug; already they were going to have one up on these brats.

“ _Details_?”

“ _Target is one Lambo Bovino, six years old –_ “ where these people serious? A child, to be chosen as a guardian, Leviathan didn’t feel a bit of remorse for what he knew he was going to do to the child, but it wasn’t it a bit absurd to make such a decision.

Well at least it made his job easier.

“-  _currently with Poison Scorpion Bianchi, Fuuta De La Stella, and one unknown child._ ”

The Poison Scorpion didn’t hold a candle to him, but he’d rather not drag that one in especially if she has been hanging around the so called false Decimo.

“ _Tail them; inform me when the Poison Scorpion is out of sight._ ”

Leviathan was impatient, but for this he could wait.

/ | \

“Hey Hayato you look a little –“

“ _Crispy_.”

Takeshi got a snort from Natsume, who quickly smothered the following giggles by fake coughing. The silver haired teen promptly ignored them, hands stuffed in his jackets, an unlit cigarette hanging between his lips, “So  _tenth_ ,”

“ _Tsuna_ ,” Natsume got out between her coughing fit.

“ _So tenth_ ,” Hayato repeated, ignoring said boy’s sister and turning to Tsuna, who noted the slight twitch of the teen’s brow. “Who are the others? I know the baseball idiot is one –“Takeshi made a noise of protest, if it was to what Hayato called him or Natsume smacking his hands away from her, most people wouldn’t really know. “And the lawn head since I ran into him training with Reborn-san’s friend.”

“I, well I know who the others are, except for one.”

“Who are they?”

Feeling everyone’s gaze on him made Tsuna want to shrink in on himself, but the teen kept himself from doing that, instead he stood straighter, shoulders relaxed instead of hunched and tried to keep his head high, “Hibari-san and Lambo-kun are the other two; I really don’t know anything about the Mist Guardian though.”

There was a moment of silence as everyone mulled over the new information, there was a spike of irritation from both Hayato and Natsume, while Takeshi seemed to be pretty calm, though if Tsuna looked at the baseball player he would have seen that the teen was not at all happy to hear that.

“Hibari, I understand,” Hayato began, pulling out his lighter from his pocket and fiddling with it as they neared the gates. “The idiot cow though?”

“Lambo,” Natsume stressed the name, slightly glaring at the silver haired teen, before looking at Tsuna, “Is six years old.”

“I know.”

“He’s a kid, Tsuna.”

“ _I know_.”

“What’s he gonna do, go in and bite ankles?” Natsume questioned, hands clutching at the straps of her bags to keep them from falling off her shoulder. “We took all his shit away from him, even that damned bazooka,” which always found its way back to the toddler in the most unexpected of ways. “How is a kid supposed to –“

Tsuna turned to his sister, eyes narrowed at her, which cut her off because Tsuna never really glared at her, “ _Natsume I know, I’m pissed as well.”_ It was neither Italian or English that he spoke and it made the girl realize that her brother wasn’t at all happy with whoever made the decision.

She let her head fall back, a groan escaping her as her other hand came up to run through her loose hair, “ _Damn it Papa.”_

“ _Why do you think I haven’t even bothered to talk with him, he’s already brought us into this, but now he wants to drag in Lambo?”_

“ _I’m sure that’s not –“_

“ _Are you defending him?_ ” Tsuna snapped, getting Natsume’s attention back on him, a frown marring her features.

Takeshi and Hayato shared a look, both lost on how to act because even though they didn’t understand, Tsuna’s tone spoke much for itself.

“I am not,” Natsume responded back evenly, this time in Japanese, “There  _has_ to be a reason,  _Papa_ wouldn’t just pick some six year old to do this.”

Tsuna closed his eyes, breathing in deeply, “Well when you find out, let me know so I can understand then, because this is ridiculous.” The brunet swiftly turned around and began to walk away, leaving behind his sister and his friend’s without another word.

“Takeshi could you…?” Natsume didn’t have to finish what she was about to ask of the teen, he was already waving at them and following after Tsuna.

 The silver haired teen was about to go after him, but Natsume called him back, “Hayato wait.” She bit her the inside of her lower lip, still staring in Tsuna’s direction before turning to Hayato, “Tsuna’s probably not going home yet,” she began, “Could you go home and watch the kids with your sister?”

“At least until I get home, please?” she added.

Hayato’s brow rose at that, the cigarette moving up and down as he contemplated it. He knew he would say yes, as much as he liked to complain and argue with Natsume, she was his friend and if she asked this of him (when she rarely ever really asked anything of anyone) he would do it.

Plus it gave him a nice cover to make sure that the cow brat was okay.

“I suppose,” he grumbled out, his left hand coming up to pick the cancer stick between his lips and fumble around with it. He used it to point at the girl, who gave him appreciative smile, “You owe me.”

“Thank you,” she sighed out, hiding a knowing a smile as the teen turned his back on her and began to exit, waving his arm in a jerky motion instead before he disappeared around the corner.

_Intermission 11_

_“Lambo,” the twins had the five year old’s attention._

_After four months of living with them and Auntie Nana, it had taken a bit of work (and lots of tough love) to at least get Lambo to break some of his bad habits (which was still a work in progress). When the kid had first started living with them he had been a bratty, loud, selfish little thing that hardly took into consideration of the others around him – which was understandable, what kid wouldn’t act the way he was?_

_He who had been given almost everything he could possibly ask for, only to have it taken away so that he could learn and hopefully grow up (another act of tough love, but one that failed, terribly.) It had left Lambo to act out even more, to be loud and demanding, to forgo his training and lessons just so they could_ see  _him._

_He was five, what exactly did he know?_

_The Bovino still cared for the disinherited heir, judging by the care packages they sent every now and then (and another that got worked around because the poor red head had such luck to come across Lambo when he was in one of his moods and decided to run away from the Sawada home because they weren’t giving into his every demand like he had been used to others doing.)_

_“Lambo,” it was Natsume’s voice that caught his attention and he tried to listen to them again. “Mama wants to know how you like it here with us?”_

_The five year old pursed his lips, hand coming to rub at his chin in that thinking gesture he had seen Quinto do often._

_“Lambo-san likes it! But –“ he hesitated, his face scrunching up as he really thought about what he was going to say._

_“But?” Tsuna repeated, leaning down against the table where he had crossed his arms and resting his chin on top of them._

_“Lambo would like his weapons back.”_

_“How about,” Natsume spoke up after a while, mulling over her words carefully because Lambo could throw a hell of a tantrum when he wanted too. “Every other Sunday, we go out to the forest and use whatever the Bovino send you?”_

_“My bazooka….”_

_“Will be where we have told you it is.”_

_“….it’s special…..”_

_Lambo’s eyes lit up because his siblings hadn’t really seen how cool his bazooka was, had they?_

_“Can I show you? Please, please, Lambo-san promises it will be cool!” he had slipped into Italian without realizing, the twin’s glancing at each other as they picked up on certain words._

_“It won’t be bad will it?”_

_“No, no!”_

_“I don’t see any harm,”_

_“..Tsuna…”_

_“Tsume….”_

_The elder of the two barely refrained from rolling her eyes, her gaze instead moving from her brother to Lambo, who wanted to squirm because Natsume could be a bit intense sometimes._

_“Go get it.”_

_Lambo cheered, standing up and scurrying over to the shared room he had with I-pin, before carefully making his way back, with a case he used for his bazooka and ammo dragging behind him. He flicked the case open, humming a merry tune as he loaded his favorite weapon and turned it on himself._

_“Ciao!”_

_“Oi, Lambo what are you –“_

_“That’s not safe –“_

_There was a poof that came when Lambo pulled the trigger, the spot he had occupied filled with a plume of pink smoke which quickly faded away and in his spot was –_

_“Oh, Young Vongola, Big Sis –“_

_~_

“It’s nice to see you again,” a ten year older version of Lambo stood where the six year old had once been, Natsume didn’t bother holding back from face palming, because really what the hell was the sixteen year old wearing.

“It’s a cow Kigurumi, you got it for me actually.”

Her forehead hit the low table and she counted by a couple seconds, before she lifted her head and stared at Lambo, who smiled at her, the markings on his cheeks crinkling as he did so, “I honestly thought I wasn’t going to see you again.”

The older Lambo faked a wounded look, holding both his hands over his heart, “Thank you for believing in me  _Ane_.”

“Moving on to more important matters,” Hayato interrupted, taking a seat beside Natsume, who let her head fall back onto the table (the surface was cool and it helped soothe the oncoming headache a little). “Do we all get through whatever is happening in one piece?”

“Define one piece and what is happening?”

“The Ring Battle of course! And answer the question properly!”

She moved her head so that it lay sideways and she could look between the two, “Hayato, he can’t do that.”

“And why the hell not?”

She clucked her tongue at him, “You know for being such a sci-fi nerd, you haven’t really taken into account how this is pretty much messing with time.”

“…Your point?”

“Fine go ahead, fuck up the timeline.”

“ _Ane_ has a point.”

Hayato emitted an odd sound, one that kind of grossed Natsume out, while Lambo merely tucked his hands into the pockets of his onesie.

“ _Fine.”_

The trio fell into an odd silence, before Hayato seemed to give up, “I’m leaving then.”

“Bye Hayato, and again thank you,” Natsume called after him, the teen gruffly responding in turn after he put his shoes on and left.

“I think everything should be fine,” Lambo spoke up, reaching a hand over to ruffle Natsume’s hair, earning a hum of approval from the girl. “Please be careful,” the teen whispered, mimicking Natsume’s position before a plume of smoke enveloped him and his six year old counterpart returned.

Bright green eyes stared at her, seeming a little astounded with her before he smiled brightly and made his way around the coffee table and hugged her, “Lambo?”

“You look sad,  _Ane_.”

“I’m tired actually.”

“Hm,” he didn’t let go, instead resting against her for a while longer and she didn’t realize when exactly she set her head down again, but she knocked out right there, liking the little peace that had settled.

It was a scene that Tsuna had happened to walk into at the same time his father opened the door to his mother’s bedroom, there was an awkward tension, before Iemitsu spoke up, “You take one I take the other?”

Tsuna harrumphed, walking over and picking up Lambo, who was roused by the movement, “Ne, ne, Tsuna-nii, can we go to the park later?”

“Sure,” Tsuna answered as he carried Lambo upstairs, his father behind him with his sister in his arms. When the pair had been put into their respective beds, Tsuna taking longer to cover Lambo up, though he still ran into his father in the hallway. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Tsunayoshi,” Iemitsu spoke his son’s name levelly, not at all affected by the glare that was cast in his direction. “Be careful.”

Tsuna almost snorted, but held it back as he headed to his room, “You don’t have to say, I already know, no thanks to you,” and he snapped the door shut.

“Didn’t know you had a temper,” Reborn commented from his place on Tsuna’s bed. “That’s actually more Natsume’s thing.”

“Yeah, well, I have things to be angry about now.”

“Save the teen angst for later,” Reborn chided, Leon morphing in his hand into a fly swatter when Tsuna sat beside him and smacked him with it, “You need the help you can get and Iemitsu  _can_  help you.”

Tsuna didn’t make a noise of any type, not after being swatted or lightly berated, “I’m going to the park later with Lambo, if you want to tag along.”

“What do you take me for a child?”

“I honestly think you’re an old man,” Tsuna answered a bit sarcastically, in hopes of getting Reborn to shut up. “But you’re too weird.”

Reborn blinked, “ _I_ am the World’s Greatest Hitman,” he paused, to add a little affect and when Tsuna’s left brow quirked up in a ‘ _aannnd?’_ sort of way he continued on, “I can do what I want.”

“Chyeah, no kidding.”

Reborn mockingly sniffed at the boy, “I expect this from your sister not you.”

“….We  _are_ related, what did you expect?”

“To be able to beat you around a little while longer, you kids are no fun, taking everything too seriously.”

Tsuna cast Reborn a deadpanned look, “Am I not supposed too? I’m pretty sure that guy with the sword would have seriously killed me –“

“Like I haven’t done so?”

Tsuna pursed his lips, “You don’t have intent.”

There was a pause and Tsuna felt a chill go up his spine as Reborn cocked his head a bit forward, his fedora shadowing his features, “Do you want to feel my intent?”

“ _Hiiee, I’m good, seriously you don’t have to –“_

Reborn looked up as if he hadn’t been casting a rather ominous shadow and gave Tsuna cutesy smile, “Then stop complaining,” he hopped off the bed and made his way towards the door, though before he left he looked over at Tsuna, that same weird smile twisting his features, “Because I can make Superbia look like a small fish in his own waters.”

And he left, overhearing Tsuna mumble, “ _What the hell is that supposed to mean?”_

/ | \

It was nearing eight by the time Tsuna and Lambo left the park, the six year old tuckered out as he let his head rest against Tsuna’s shoulder.

_“The Lightning Guardian has left the park.”_

Levi didn’t bother responding, instead he took out the ear bud he had in, his hand clenching around it along with a brief flare of green flames. The tall man began to make his way, already having an idea of which paths the brattling and his handler would take.

Nearly halfway home and Levi took that chance to intervene, stepping into the kid’s path, the brunet giving him a questioning look.  Tsuna was about to go around the man, but Levi was already ahead of him, pulling out one of his parabolas and holding it out to block his path.

“Excuse me.”

Levi sniffed, before he swung his parabola at the teen who didn’t hesitate in jumping back, stumbling a bit as Lambo jerked awake at the sudden motion, “You have something I need.”

Tsuna set Lambo down, the afro haired kid staying behind him, shaking like a leaf, his eyes wide as he felt the animosity that was directed at him from the big man.

“Who are you?” Tsuna asked, his hands held out, palms facing towards Levi in case the man swung again. The parabola in the man’s hand flared with a crackle, the sound it made reminding Tsuna of lightning.

“I won’t say it again,” Levi spoke, completely ignoring Tsuna and jabbing the point of his weapon at Lambo, “You know what you have, give it to me and I won’t make your death too bad.”

Tsuna’s instincts flared, his hands lit with his own inner fire when the man moved forward, aiming bat him aside and get to Lambo.

“ _Lambo run!”_  Tsuna called out, feeling himself being pushed back by the man before him. The man didn’t even seem to be straining against him, merely raising a brow before dismissing him.

“Lambo-san, with me!” A familiar voice called out, “Watch out, Sawada-dono!” The whistling of something going through the air was enough for Tsuna to pull away from the man before him and a boomerang would have taken Levi’s head if the man hadn’t tilted his head to the side.

“Che, kids, you want to play that way?” He reached behind him, pulling out another parabola and gave them a disdainful smile, “We can play that way.”

“Help is on the way Sawada-dono,” Basil breathed, catching his weapon when it came back and giving Levi a hard look, “We must hold out long enough for them to get here.”

Tsuna didn’t get a chance to respond as he was once more moving aside, the speed with which the man moved completely going against his size. The teen latched onto the feeling of warmth that sprung forth, bringing it forward as he was taught to do so in his times with Reborn, beside him he could feel Basil doing the same, though with the aid of a pill.

“ _Don’t look down on me_!” The man yelled in Italian, irked that these brats thought they had a hope of standing against him. With a grunt Levi swung his parabola’s once more, this time doubling the force he used and the two before him were brushed aside leaving an opening for the Italian man to get to Lambo.

“This is completely uncool!” another voice rang out and Levi could feel a tick begin to develop in his eye as he looked at the teen that was running to them. The tick turned into a severe twitch as the man noted exactly who was following after the intruder.

“Haa, where these guys with you?”

“Fucking bastards.”

His underlings grunted at the way they were handled ( _and how could they let a bunch of brats get to them? This wouldn’t do, when they returned to Italy there would be punishment awaiting these three….and that’s if he was kind enough to let them live past this._

_He wasn’t.)_

Apart from the twitch Levi didn’t show any of his aggravation, instead he took in the kids that appeared before him, noting how the other two and the small brunet stood at the front, eyes gleaming and ready to fight.

“Oh Levi~”

Said man let his weapons hang down at his side, side eying his fellow Varia members that just had to appear.

“Seems like you brought them all to you Levi-chan~.”

The pierced man’s mouth twisted in distaste, “You bastards drag your feet too much.”

Lussuria gave him a mocking giggle, a hand resting on his hip as he cocked his head to the side, “Just enjoying the sights~”

“ _Voii.”_

Tsuna felt his skin prickle with the amount of chills that passed him, but he didn’t take a step back ( _he refused too; he couldn’t show weakness, not now and doing that would show a lot of how he felt than he wanted them to know._ )

“Sawada Tsunayoshi,” the one with the meanest look called out and Tsuna looked at him, not letting his gaze waver from the scarlet ones. The man dismissed him right then and there, his hand coming out and pointing his fingers at Tsuna, “Die scum.”

/ | \

It was the sound of something whistling loudly that woke Natsume and she looked around her room, feeling completely disoriented because last she recalled she had been in the living room. Pushing herself up from her bed she made her way to the window, pushing it open and trying to place why the outside world was whistling so loudly.

The whistling went up in pitch and she felt herself wide awake.

“ _Shit, shit, shit,”_ she scrambled over to her desk and pulled one of the drawers open, quickly pulling out a green and white candle that she lit with her flame unconsciously as she moved and set them in the small space she had in her room.

She clasped her shaking hands together, focusing on the dancing indigo lights, as the smoke that curled from it twisted up before disappearing. There was a quiet meow beside her and not really thinking it she reached over and rested her hand along her cat’s spine.

The feline’s ears merely twitched, sitting still beside its mistress, it’s amber eyes on the curiously flickering flames.

“I speak to those who listen,” she murmured, “I ask for luck and success for those I care about,” the green candle flickered for a second before it burned brighter – whether because she was hoping for it to do that or what, she didn’t know. “I wish for the truth and peace, though I have no right to ask since my own tongue tells half-truths., I ask not for myself, but for those around me.”

“ _I give to you myself, an offering of my will.”_

Both lights flickered and only the green light went out, while the white candle burned the same as ever. Emi moved from her side and sniffed at the smoke that emitted from the candle that had gone out, before moving on and heading towards the open window.

Her cat cried and Natsume let loose a heavy sigh, “I know, maybe next time?”

It was one thing she knew, that she had learned under Kawahira in the last year, that as long as you gave something, it was eventually returned, though often it was in the least unexpected of ways. She nudged the unlit candle, letting the other one burn and fill the room with a sugar cookie scent.

Natsume brought her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them as she wrapped her arms beneath under her thighs and sighed again.

She sat there staring at the indigo flame, not moving until loud footsteps were heard pounding their way up the stairs, followed by a frantic knocking on her door. The light haired brunette pushed herself up, shaking her legs a little to get some feeling back into them while she went to answer her door.

It was her brother, who had a sniffling Lambo in his arms, “Why does it smell like cookies in your room?” Her brother asked sounding a little breathless, letting Lambo move to her when the boy reached out for her and she grabbed him, resting his weight against her hip.

“It smells good,” she answered, giving Tsuna a concerned look, “What’s up with this one?”

Tsuna’s shoulder’s sagged, one of his arms coming up to rub the back of his neck, “There are people who really want us dead and Lambo got caught up in it.”

Natsume bit on her lip, eyes going from Tsuna to Lambo and she wondered if her brother even realized the connection he had with the kid, hers would have probably been stronger with the kid if she had allowed herself to accept him.

She of course had no intention of having guardians. The only reason her brother was starting to bring his in was because she was starting to accept them and with her pretty much giving the green light, Tsuna’s flames latched onto the people he had long ago taken in and considered his.

“Does it have –“

“Yeah, it’s gotten worse,” Tsuna sighed, leaning his back against the doorway, hands tucked into his pockets. “It seemed that  _Nono_ changed his mind and has elected his son Xanxus, dad continues to side with me.”

“…are you mad at him for that?” she asked, stepping back and gestured with her head to her bed. Tsuna moved without much prompting and settled himself on his sister’s bed, taking Lambo from her and letting the toddler rest in his lap.

“I want to be, but I understand why,” Tsuna began, the one hand that wasn’t supporting Lambo picking at her linens. “Something isn’t right, but we don’t know what.” Tsuna looked up in time to catch the contemplative look on his sister’s face, “ _I don’t want you getting involved Tsume, these people aren’t playground bullies, they’re trained assassins, they’ll do anything to get ahead and if that means –“_

“ _I won’t do anything stupid Tsuna, not if it’s going to have you throwing a fit over it.”_

“ _I am not throwing a fit.”_

She hummed, couldn’t quite help from keeping a knowing smile from appearing on her mouth, “Of course not.” It was quiet after that, Lambo blinking slowly and just leaning his head against Tsuna’s chest.

(Lambo himself didn’t understand why everything that happened that night happened, but he knew it was dangerous with the way everyone had been acting. He sniffled once more, looking up and only really seeing Tsuna’s jawline, before looking over at Natsume.

With them around he would be safe though, he knew that much and he hoped that whatever bad things happened his big brother and  _ane_ would be there for him.)

 “You know that cookie smell isn’t so bad,” Tsuna spoke up after a while, Lambo long since having knocked out and was drooling on his shirt. Natsume looked over to where the candles she had lit had gone out, her eyes widening as the white candle had lit itself again, this time with a bright orange flame.

“Say Tsuna how bad would you say you wanted to know the truth, or  _y’know_ keep this peaceful?”

She turned to Tsuna who was giving her a funny look, “It’s not that I want it, it’s that we all deserve it,” he answered, wondering what brought his sister to ask him that. Really if it hadn’t been for Iemitsu lying and keeping things from them, there probably was a high chance of avoiding the situation.

Or at least whatever was happening wouldn’t go down.

Or maybe it all would have gone the same way, but they would have been better prepared and would have had a better understanding of the Underworld’s Customs – or at least Vongola’s.

His sister looked back towards her closet and he considered that maybe she was seeing shapes in the darkness.

Natsume wasn’t at all surprised to see the flame gone, “Why do you ask?”

She turned to him, her hand coming up so that her finger could tap against her cheek in a thoughtful manner, “Curious,  _very_ curious, you see –“ ( **1** )

Tsuna narrowed his eyes, having a feeling of where his sister was going with this, “Are you going to quote something?” Judging by the way she pursed her lips and a sheepish glint entered her eyes. “ _This is serious Natsume.”_

“I know,” his sister responded, the sheepishness fading away quickly, “You know if you give enough, the world has a weird way of rewarding you.”

Tsuna frowned, not really following with his sister thought process at the moment, “Okay, and?” The world in general hadn’t been nice to them, so why would it start now?

The situation they were in just screamed that something was against them.

“Just keep an open mind, Tsuna,” his sister said, reaching up and pinching his cheek, earning a pout from her brother. “Everything has a way of coming out.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **(1)** Ollivander~~ From Harry Potter!
> 
> Green Candle: Luck, Health, Success, Fertility, Money (though mainly focused on the first three)  
> White Candle: Purity, Peace, Truth; Destruction of Negative Energy
> 
> Thank you to everyone from the kudo's, bookmarks, and comments!  
> Enjoy~


	12. Chapter 12

_Part 29: Let's Get Ready to Rumble!_

"Oi, Tsuna," Ryohei called to the younger teen, not only getting his attention but his sister's as well. "Natsume," the boxer greeted, the girl nodding at him.

"I'll see you at lunch," she told her brother continuing on her own towards the school, leaving the brunet behind with him.

"Senpai?" Tsuna was not used to this side of Ryohei and so he stepped closer so that the teen wouldn't have to speak much louder than he should (he already had an idea of where this was going...okay maybe he had an idea.)

"This thing that's going on," Ryohei began, arms crossed against his chest, thumbing the ring that sat hung around his neck, "Will it hurt Kyoko in anyway?"

Tsuna swallowed, he really couldn't lie to the boxer, "What's happening right now is between us and them," Tsuna began, minding his word choice. "There is a chance, if you wish to keep that ring, that Kyoko will be dragged in whatever comes our way."

Ryohei grunted, "Colonello says it's a battle of wills…."

"That's true."

"I feel like I'm still missing something," the boxer blurted out, because he was confused, he wanted to help Tsuna, but there was something that he wasn't understanding. If he didn't know the exact consequences of whatever actions he took, well, he was unwilling to repeat what had happened to him once already.

By the look on Tsuna' face the boy wasn't exactly happy, a hint of sadness in the half smile he gave. Tsuna sighed, seeming for the world as if there was a heavy burden on his shoulders and Ryohei wanted to throw an arm around him and tell him nothing should be carried alone.

Friends helped each other like that right?

"It starts with Vongola," Tsuna began, looking around to see if there was anyone passing by, "And it ends with me being selected as an heir for them, the next in line to take care of the family business." The bitterness that seeped through Tsuna's voice was tangible and Ryohei was about to say that he should have every right to back out if he didn't want it.

"If I step down, not only is my life forfeit but my family and friends."

The silence was ringing, nearly deafening after those words, "I only fight to protect those I love and care for, Senpai," the brunet didn't let his gaze fall from his and Ryohei respected that.

But surely Tsuna was taking this a bit too seriously right?

"If you decide to step down Ryohei-nii, I will respect that and I will make sure that the others do as well."

Ryohei swallowed, feeling a little blown away by the brunet's words and just how much he meant them. The white haired teen uncrossed his arms, settling his hands on his hips as he quietly judged and quickly made up his mind, "A man that goes that far for his family and friends and respects their wishes is a man I can see myself following."

Ryohei lightly punched Tsuna on the arm, said teen hiding a wince because  _ow_ that hurt, "Tonight is the first battle right, where I go up against that one guy?"

Tsuna nodded, not really knowing what the boxer was getting too, and not really knowing how to take the almost blinding smile Ryohei gave him, "Colonello says I have a strong resolve, you will see if it holds up, right Tsuna?"

The brunet blinked at the fist that was held out to him and he slowly raised his own hand, forming a fist and bumping it against Ryohei's, "I wouldn't miss it."

/ | \

"Hey Sawada-kun," Longchamp began, getting Natsume's attention before she left the classroom to go join the other's for lunch.

"Longchamp?"

The previously blond teen who now sported dark red hair had his arms crossed against his chest, fingers fiddling with his sweater and yet his smile and his voice didn't belay any of his nerves, "Mangusta said tensions are high, wants to take a little break from Namimori," he uncrossed one arm and reached into his bag, pulling out a decent little flip phone and handing it to Natsume, "It wouldn't be too much to ask if you could let me know when it's over?"

"Where do you plan on going?"

The boy took a second to think about it, his pointer finger tapping his chin in though, before he snapped his fingers as whatevery fancy came to him. He gave her a brilliant smile, "Well I haven't visited Tokyo Disney; it'd be nice to compare that one and the one in Florida."

Natsume raised a brow, "Nice," she drawled out, pocketing the phone into her jacket, "Tell Pantera I said hi." That was said a bit more sincerely.

Longchamp stood up after that, stretching his arms over his head before he picked up his bag and threw it over his shoulder, "Always nice talking to you, Sawada-kun."

"I thought you preferred talking to my brother," she lightly teased, following him out though she was going to Tsuna's class instead of leaving the school like Longchamp was doing.

Longhcamp laughed, "You have your own charm Sawada-kun, anyways see ya~" And with that the teen was off, leaving a slightly confused Natsume, who just ended up taking Longchamp's words in stride and headed to classroom 2A.

She would kind of miss the redhead and his antics for the time being, which probably would have helped take her mind (and maybe Tsuna's if she had managed to wrangle the red head in her brothers direction) off of the troubles at hand.

_Intermission 12_

" _You know you're very serious Sawada-kun," Longchamp commented to her once, long after he had first talked to Tsuna._

_She had looked at the then-blond and given him an inquiring look, "Oh really?"_

" _See your brother he's more," he made a motion with his hands as if he was trying to grasp the air, "He's very free and open, and you, well you're kind of hard to get a read on."_

" _Is this you saying that or your tutor," she asked having once met Mangusta and had a rather pleasant chat with the man, even though he didn't seem to trust her at all. The English man was very uptight, but he did take things much more seriously than his student, who was very open and had admitted to the class once that he was Mafia._

" _Pantera actually."_

" _You and her still talk well?"_

" _Of course we do! We're friends aren't we?"_

_Natsume made a noncommittal sound, not really sure if she should take Longchamp at his word. The last time she had seen the pair together, the dark haired girl was actively trying to maim Longchamp._

" _Right."_

" _See even now you're not really letting yourself go, holding to that image you have going on."_

_Well, it was habit to keep up a front, especially when she was at school; it kept the older students and reminded the ones she had gone to elementary school with that she shouldn't be messed with._

" _All I'm saying is you should loosen up –" out of the corner of her eye she saw Longchamp about to put his_ arm _around her, in a friendly easy going manner and ducked under it._

" _I'll tell Mimi-chan you're being friendly with other girls if you touch me."_

" _See! Loosen up Sawada-kun; you can't be serious all the time!"_

_The girl gave the boy a deadpanned stare, before she flashed him a very fake smile, which had the teen rolling his eyes at her, "It's a work in progress."_

/ | \

"So before you go off and get run into the ground by Mirai and Kato-senpai," Hana started up once she was sure Kyoko wasn't within earshot, the tall, dark haired girl pinned Natsume with a hard look, "What  _is_ happening."

"Huh?"

Hana crossed her arms, eyes narrowing slightly (and maybe she huffed a little, because really something was up and it was making her feel weird.)

"It has something to do with your brother and Kyoko's, I just know it."

"The guys have something going on?"

Judging by the light flare of her nostrils, Hana wasn't exactly happy with that answer, "They have a game they started up," and it was almost the truth, minus the fact that this game could end a lot more bloody than Ryohei's boxing matches when they decided to go without gloves. "The guys are pretty gung ho about it."

"Right," Hana drawled out, lips lightly pursing as she tried to see if she could get a hint out of the girl before her. Kyoko always told her she had this 'look' and it usually led to the girl spilling whatever was bothering her (which had led her to this because her brother and that  _kid_ had been up to things and Ryohei was usually pretty up front but at the current moment he was being pretty tightlipped.)

"Will this upset Kyoko?"

"They are fighting, Hana," Natsume sighed out slowly, her mouth twisting as if just saying those words (or whatever thought that those words brought) were foul.

"Don't be like your brother," she lightly snapped, because she had tried this with Tsuna earlier, Takeshi having excused himself once the lunch bell rang and Hayato not there, Hana had taken the chance and the brunet had been unhelpful to say the least. "Seriously, what is going on Natsume?"

"They are fighting," the fair haired girl ground out once more, "Look Hana, I'm sorry, but this isn't my thing anymore. Whatever games they're playing its them only."

Well…someone sounded bitter.

Hana brought her hand up to her face, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose, eyes closed as she exhaled, a slight whistle-like sound emitting from her, "Fine, fine, but before you leave," her friend blinked up at her and Hana, let her hand fall away from her face, "Is it something you can't really talk about?"

She barely caught the brief smile that ghosted about Natsume's mouth, the girl turning away and heading towards the gym, "Something like that," the words were quiet, but she heard and Hana thought that was as much as she was going to get.

Watching her friend, the dark haired girl pursed her lips, lightly scuffing her shoe against the ground as she wondered  _what_ exactly her friends were doing that had them constantly ditching school. The small bead around her neck gave a light green glow before it faded, Hana herself turning away so she could head toward the arts room.

She had a feeling she wouldfind out eventually.

/ | \

As Natsume made her way out of the school grounds, a purple butterfly floated over to her, landing on her shoulder, the words that it whispered bringing her attention to it before it disappeared. She took the phone that Longchamp had given her earlier that day, checking the time as she changed directions.

_4:55_

While making her way there, Natsume looked over the slim phone she had been given, fiddling with it to learn how it worked. In the time she spent messing with it, she had already made it to Kawahira's shop and by then she had realized she had a couple of pictures from Longchamp, who seemed to be sporting a couple bruises.

' _Pantera is being heavy handed again!'_ one of the messages read and she responded with a simple ' _I wonder why.'_

She faintly heard the bell chime above her as she entered the shop,  _5:15_ being the time she recalled as she made her way to the back.

What she did not expect as she passed through the beaded curtain was for Wonomichi to be there and having the young man bound up to her and pick her up in a tight hug.

" _Happy belated birthday!"_  the man greeted her, once he pulled away and seemed to dance away from her fingers that had been aiming to poke his sides. Wonomichi held up a gloved hand to his mouth, watchingthe dumbfounded look on Natsume's face, before the girl pretty much face palmed.

"How do I forget my own birthday?"

Wonomichi shrugged, hands going behind his back as his upper body leaned forward, eyes crinkling at the corners as he gave her a bright smile, "Who knows! But do you know in some cultures you're considered a young woman?"

"Don't make me grow up so soon."

The dark haired man chuckled, holding out a hand so that Natsume could move further in and settle down.

"I haven't seen you in months where have you been?" Natsume asked once she set her things down and made herself comfortable on one of the couches, legs coming up and tucked beneath her as she leaned against the arm rest.

Wonomichi took to the lone armchair in the room, though he kept his legs crossed out in front of him, "Here and here~"

"Children," Kawahira spoke up, voice cutting off Natsume from saying anything. The white haired man gave his student a blasé look, one that seemed to suggest that he knew what the girl was about to say. "So happy to have you two here."

"You're jumping off the walls," Natsume muttered, Wonomichi overheard and snickered, only stopping when Kawahira clear his throat.

"Would you like some tea?"

"Please? It is starting to get a wee bit chilly here~"

"Where you somewhere in Europe?"

"I was somewhere." The girl merely pressed her lips together and let loose a sound that sounded as if she was almost screaming.

Almost.

"Tea Natsume?"

"…yes please."

"Good, because it's ready."

"I thought I heard something whining," Wonomich commented, a sly smile curling his mouth as he flicked his gaze momentarily to Natsume, who pouted at him.

"I think you're getting too comfortable."

"Hoho~"

"Sensei make him stop."

Kawahira shook his head as he set the tray he had brought over, setting it down on the coffee table as he took a seat beside Natsume. Ignoring the two  _children_ he poured, adding a touch of sugar to his and Wonomichi's and a bit more to Natsume's.

"I don't want to hear anything from you two until after you drink."

The white haired man took a sip of his drink, the other two following along and he waited a couple minutes as they both drank, not at all surprised by the inquiring look from Wonomichi. It was when Natsume was starting to react a little more sluggishly that he cleared his throat again, the girl turning slowly and giving him a wide eyed look.

"Hemlock, is lovingly called the witch's herb," he began, setting his cup down, leaning back and holding his hands in his lap. "You ground this up last week, remember?" receiving a slow nod he continued on, "I made sure not to mix too much, but if you feel anything beyond being a little sluggish and dizzy, tell me."

"Ingestion of the plant is not recommended," Kawahira ignored the withering look the girl sent him, "There are various ways to use it, whether you use the plant itself or use the so-called 'juice' that comes from it. I find it better to use it as incense, to keep myself grounded and it offers a very minor protection, one which is of course enhanced through my mist flames."

Natsume breathed slowly resting back against the couch and felt when Kawahira plucked the cup out of her hands, "It's also used for funerals or to symbolize immortality," Wonomichi cut in, giving Kawahira a rather cutting look, which the man barley batted an eye at.

"Wonomichi is not wrong."

"How long will I be like this?" Natsume spoke up slowly, her tongue feeling heavy and all she really wanted to do was sleep.

"You can relax, we'll be watching over you."

"Does not answer my question."

"About an hour or two."

" _Nice,"_ she gave them a thumbs up, "You know next time you offer me something I won't take it."

Kawahira chuckled, shaking his head, "It's for your own good."

"Hoho~ how?" she asked, mimicking Wonomichi's laughter, said young man rolled his eyes, his foot tapping a constantly changing rhythm.

"You won't be poisoned off your own stock."

Natsume held up her other hand and gave Kawahira a thumbs up, "I guess _."_

_Part 30: Let Children Fight Adults (Don't?)_

Natsume got home a little later than usual, Kawahira shadowing her steps.

She was walking in at the same time Tsuna was leaving, she stumbled and Tsuna steadied her, giving his sister a concerned look, "You okay?"

Natsume breathed in deeply, nodding as she blew out a steady stream of air, not at all caring that she let her bags fall and stepped out of her shoes without much of a care and padded her way over to the kitchen.

Tsuna frowned, but he just assumed that she was tired – there were days where she was completely ran through after practice and by the way she was dragging her feet, it seemed to have been one of those days.

That settled he headed out, fingers hooking around the straps of both his school bag and the extra one that he had packed his school clothes and another set of clothes in. He had made sure with the others if it was fine with them if they all stayed together during this, he had already explained to his mother, who had given him a tight lipped smile.

Every step that took him farther from his home and towards Takeshi's place was loud, his mind replaying the sadness in his mother's eyes, the way she had cupped his face and kissed his forehead, before resting her forehead against his.

" _I give you my strength as much as that will help you."_

Tsuna closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around his mom, moving his head so that it rested against her shoulder ( _when had he grown? His mother had always seemed so big to him and now, as he pulled away it was he who was looking down at her)._

" _I will use it when I need it most."_

Because even though his mother did not believe she was strong enough, she had given him life, she had nurtured and cared for him even when he was at his most difficult ( _tiny woman she may be, but she was strong, on her better days able to coral both him and his sister, or the three children that stayed in their home as if they were errant puppies._ )

His mother's smile was soft, her eyes crinkled at the corners, " _Be careful."_

By the time he realized it he was coming upon Takesushi, he could see Hayato approaching from a distance, the smell of the cigarettes he tended to favor wafting through the air. The pair met up at the entrance ( _Tsuna eyed the bandages around his hands and how his fingers tended to shake, how his thumb rubbed against the back of the band of the ring they had gifted him. Hayato saw the fire in his friend's eyes, the slightly haggard look after a day of training cut short, how the teen's brown skin had its own bruises and scuff marks, how he gripped the straps of his bags before he loosened them.)_

"Takeshi might still be training with his old man, Ryohei's probably out with Colonello," Tsuna said, pulling out a key from his back pocket, "Said we should wait for him upstairs if we got here early."

Hayato inhaled, pulling the cancer stick away from his mouth as he angled his head so he could blow the smoke out where it wouldn't be blown into Tsuna's face, "So the baseball idiot can prepare."

Tsuna made a sound through his nose, one that most people would have taken as disapproval, but Hayato noticed the quirk of his friend's mouth, "Takeshi's not an idiot."

Hayato huffed, stepping through the restaurant, greeting one of the waiters before they made their way upstairs to Takeshi's room, but didn't say anything to counter Tsuna.

It was nearing nine when Takeshi finally showed up to find that Tsuna and Hayato had made themselves comfortable, splayed out on either his beanbag chair or the bed.

"You guys didn't do anything today?"

Hayato snorted from where he laid on the bed, not bothering to move as the dark haired teen walked in and set his bags at the end, "Shamal said to take a break that if I kept going he wasn't going to bandage me up."

"...isn't that the school doctor?"

"The useless one, who barely shows up," Hayato supplied, moving his arm from his face so he could see Takeshi's slow nod, "Yeah."

"Huh, we all have such interesting teachers don't we?" Takeshi said, the cheer in his voice as obvious as his exhaustion. "I'm going to shower real quick, so do whatever it was you were doing."

"Don't drown," Tsuna commented, eyes closing once he got a good look at his friend ( _he looked as if he had just gotten out of baseball practice, tired, but still smiling and energetic, though there was something that niggled Tsuna at the back of his mind, there was a certain hardness in Takeshi's eyes and Tsuna wondered what exactly his father was putting him through.)_

The dark haired teen laughed, a change of clothes and a towel over his shoulder as he made his way out, "I'll try not too~"

/ | \

Colonello was sure that Ryohei was as ready as he'll ever be.

He would have gone along with the white haired teen, but someone had to watch over Kyoko, who had Hana over and was staying later than usual. The blond could tell that Kyoko was curious and trying to find out what her brother was up to and was not at all surprised that she wasn't as easily put off as Ryohei thought she might be.

Really suggesting that Kyoko bring Hana over for a sleep over would have been brilliant if the other girl wasn't as nosy and persistent as her friend (perhaps even more so because there was a focus and a need to have an answer in that one.)

Well there was still a chance that he could go, it was barely ten and Kyoko would probably go to sleep within the next ten to twenty minutes, maybe eleven at the latest. The soldier blinked suddenly when Kyoko called to him, asking him if he wanted anything before bed and Colonello nearly answered in the negative, only for him to change his answer.

"How about a warm glass of milk before bed, hey?"

The girl wouldn't say no to joining him and she'd probably insist for Hana to have one as well, having the two in the room would make it a lot easier for the thought that had popped into his head. Really who could blame him, it was rare for him to use his flames without his gun, but he was still a damned rain, wasn't he?

He wouldn't push his flames onto them to the point that they're completely out, but enough that they could sleep through the night with little to no interruption at all.

It would be almost like putting a baby to sleep.

His nose crinkled at that thought, but he cast it aside real quick.

No need to dwell on that.

/ | \

It was her mother shaking her awake that made Natsume realize that something was a little off. Sitting up on the couch and rubbing at her eyes, she asked, "Tsuna's upstairs right?" she had a question, well not really a question; she was just going to ask if he wouldn't mind stepping on her back.

"Tsuna left a couple hours ago, sweetheart."

Natsume's brows furrowed, "Where'd he go?" Usually once Tsuna got home, whether it was from school or training, he really didn't go back out, unless he was meeting with Hayato and Takeshi at the arcade or whatever else Reborn made him do.

"Something about a big game tonight," Nana answered, and Natsume could only nod a bit dumbly, still feeling a bit of the effects of the tea from earlier.

Nah, she realized sitting up and stretching her arms above her head, she was just groggy (how long had she been asleep for?)

Her mother poked her forehead and Natsume looked at her mom, "It's eleven thirty, Tsu-chan, I think you'll sleep more comfortably in your own bed."

"Probably," she yawned out, finally standing up, "I guess I'll go,  _goodnight Mama_ ," she kissed her mother on the cheek, the woman in turn lightly ruffling her head before she headed to her room. As Natsume made her way up to hers, she found the sight of Reborn petting her cat in the middle of the hallway rather odd.

"Reborn?"

The tiny hitman didn't acknowledge her, only when Emi walked away from him and towards her did he actually look at her, "You will be staying put."

She crouched down, picking up her cat, while giving Reborn a dubious look, "Is that an order from my tutor or a suggestion?"

"Take it however you please," he responded, tucking his hands into his jackets pocket, "But someone does need to make sure the house is safe."

Was he insinuating that there could be a possible threat; wouldn't Bianchi be better suited for this?

"Bianchi should be coming back tomorrow, so if you want to tag along for tomorrow's game, you're more than welcome too."

Ah, so that was it.

"Okay," she yawned out, covering her mouth with the back of her hand, "I'll stay back I guess."

"Good I-"

"It definitely beats being out on such a cold night anyways, plus – wait who's fighting?" Or would it be considered dueling?

Same thing right?

Reborn seemed to be picking up on her thoughts and didn't bat an eye at the derailment, "The Sun's."

She stood up, looking a little thoughtful, "Oh, Hana asked about what's been going," she told the tiny hitman, "I don't know if it's my place to tell them anything and knowing those two, especially Hana, they can be a bit stubborn."

"I'm sure Colonello will figure something out for that."

Natsume hummed, "Well you should get going if you want to get there in time."

"Goodnight Natsume."

"See you."

She headed to her room, while he went downstairs. She locked her bedroom door as she shut it behind her and Natsume held her cat out in front of her, "How would you like to have a big kitty tonight?" Emi's ears twitched, head tilted to the side as if taking into consideration her owner's question, which really wouldn't be far off with all that Natsume had been doing with her cat.

Natsume pictured a much larger cat, similar in coloring to Emi and focused on bringing that image to life. Emi hissed at the creature that appeared beside them, a blob of indigo swirling and slowly pulling back to reveal black jaguar. The indigo eyed big cat eyed the smaller one, huffing lightly through its nose until it was fully formed.

When it's tail finished forming, it whacked Natsume against her back, making the girl give the big cat the stink eye, "You better not be giving me attitude."

Another whack was her response.

A deep chirp went with it, as if the cat was laughing and Natsume wondered if it was normal for constructs to take a personality of their own – or maybe that's just what she wanted, a big sassy cat.

The fifteen year old clucked her tongue, setting down Emi, who went up and sniffed at the construct, "What to name you for now," she puffed her cheeks in thought, pointer finger tapping against her jaw, "Hoho~ how about Ka?"

Rather fitting and from what she remembered of her random readings of both mythology and history ( **1** ), it had something to do with the human soul, something about life? …She'd look it up later, for now she would make sure it would do as it was constructed to do, which was to protect her home.

A figure similar to that of Kawahira appeared in her room and all Natsume had to do for the cat to pounce on it was say, "Attack."

Watching the feline take down the fake figure of her teacher made Natsume smile and she scratched Ka's head once it returned back (meanwhile Kawahira couldn't help but feel a chill as if someone had wished him ill will.)

"Good boy," she cooed, feeling much more awake than earlier, "Anyone that doesn't feel like our own, you take down understood?"

The big cat chirped, watching as it's mistress began to change out of her clothes and into warmer ones before making her way out of the window. Natsume popped back in, heading to her desk where she had left out her box filled with crystals last night.

She pulled a clear one out and quickly infused it with a bit of her flame and left it settled on her bed. Another her appeared and Natsume smiled at that one, wiggling her fingers at herself before leaving again.

The clone of Natsume turned to the big cat and gave the feline an adoring smile, "It should be a calm night….hopefully."

All Ka did was lay down, it's nose butting against Emi's curious one.

/ | \

"Sensei…"

"hmm?"

"Are you following me?"

The older man only shook his head, keeping his hands in the pockets of his coat, "I am making sure you are fine."

"….okay…"

"Also I am quite curious to see how tonight goes, it will be a first for the both of us." And three of the six arcobaleno would be there; it wouldn't hurt to see how they were doing.

"How do you even know?"

Kawahira shrugged, not at all fazed by his student's pout, "It's not hard to pick up on the rumors of a violent swordsman in the market, nor is it hard to ignore the change of flow of Namimori's people"

Natsume frowned, "Namimori is still the same."

The white haired man tutted, "There are two unclaimed skies, your brother is one and you are the other, while your brother is slowly gathering his own you have yet to do so." This earned him a sniff of disdain, the girl pointedly looking ahead.

"I am a Mist more than a Sky….plus I don't think I'll make a very good one."

He was about to inquire why she thought that, but they had already made it to the school grounds. It was child's play to get past the illusions set up by the Cervello and it was a true testament to Kawahira's skill that he managed to keep the two of them from being noticed by those around what seemed to be a boxing ring.

Not even the Varia or the arcobaleno noticed the two extra spectators' and it made Kawahira want to shake his head.

Humans; the example of how strong they could be was before them in the form of adults turned to toddlers, but even they could only be so powerful. They didn't live long enough to pick up on the nuances and the shifts of the Earth when it accommodated a stronger flame. Selfish creatures they were, they all tended to focus within themselves, the power they had usually going to waste, they –

_Poke~_

"Calm down there Professor, it's not for you to get angry."

"Professor?"

"Dumbledore is very composed, even when he's feeling upset," his student explained and he barely refrained from rolling his eyes at that,  _why did she have to refer to him as Dumbledore?_ (Okay so maybe he had ulterior motives that he didn't tell to anybody –  _no he wasn't getting caught up in that thought again._ )

"Stop that."

Judging by the way she smiled, tongue poking out she had been waiting for him to realize that she had been messing with him.

He wouldn't congratulate her on it, seeing as he had let himself fall onto his thoughts once again, her taking advantage of his distraction to tack on those after thoughts. He sighed, a hand coming up and covering his mouth as he coughed (more so he could hide the smile that threatened to show.)

"Let's see what the Sun will show us tonight."

"…..I highly doubt it will overshadow the moon."

"They're called eclipses student of mine."

" _Whatever."_

The area went completely dark in that moment, the only light being the faint one from the moon, that kept getting blocked off by the clouds. The lights came back on, blindingly bright, and Natsume had to cover her eyes, less she see white for the rest of her life.

Someone poked her forehead and she could feel something settle along the bridge of her nose, when she opened them, there was a pair of shades that let her see what was going on.

Oh no.

_Poor Ryohei._

"This is all rigged."

Kawahira hummed besides her, watching as the sixteen year old was being toyed about by a man ten years older than him.

"Do you think your friend has a chance?"

"….I…really don't know."

/ | \

Hana was tired, but Kyoko was dragging her along and the dark haired girl couldn't really say no to finding out exactly what was going on ( _still she would rather be curled up beneath her blankets, than heading towards Nami-chuu of all places at midnight.)_

"Kyoko –"

"Colonello was gone too Hana," Kyoko said, not letting her friend speak. "Something has to be going on, something big that Onii-chan is probably too embarrassed to say."

"Not that, Kyoko," Hana wrapped her arms tighter around her, shivering slightly even as she peered and tried to remember if Namimori Middle ever had such lights set up. "What is that?"

"It looks like they're set up in the courtyard."

Kyoko frowned, an ill feeling twisting in her stomach, "Come on," this time it was Hana leading and moving them forward. They entered the school gates without a problem and from where they stood they could see a stage-like ring set up, the lights though made it difficult to see.

"I don't think we can get closer without having to close our eyes, Kyoko."

"..Maybe we should just.."  _'go'_  but she was already here, she wanted to know.

The lights went out in that moment and the pair sighed out in relief, there was no need to avert their gaze and they headed towards the ring, getting there just in time to see Ryohei get knocked down by the older man.

" _Onii-san!_ "

The group before them stilled and so did the two fighter's at the sudden voice, but the man with the weird hair kept moving onto her brother, not letting himself stay distracted.

"Tsuna," Hana greeted, giving the boy a pointed look, which was returned with a bland one (it looked a lot similar to Natsume's resting bitch face.)

"Shouldn't you two be at home?" Takeshi asked, turning his head enough so that he could look at them and glance between the ongoing fight, which seemed to have turned to Ryohei's favor.

"What about you?" Kyoko threw back, upset because  _what on earth was going on?_  She looked at Tsuna, who only looked away at the pitiful look that was given to him. "Why is this happening?"

"Ladies, ladies!" Iemitsu's voice called out, the man made eye contact with his son and gestured with his chin to the fight, while distracting to the two girl's from the scene. And if they just so happened to miss the bloody mess that had become of Lussuria, well Iemitsu would be giving the illusionist who had managed that a good raise.

(No one would know that it had been Natsume, who was watching over everything, her hands nearly white at how tightly she was clenching her hands,  _because what the hell where Hana and Kyoko doing there, did no one make sure that this wouldn't happen_?)

The blond man smiled at the young ladies, knowing them to be his daughter and son's friends and beckoned them to follow him, "Please, please this way, everything will be explained, let's let the boy's have their fun time!"

Hana didn't know what to think of the blond man, but something about him was familiar ( _it was probably his eyes, she could swear she had seen them somewhere_.)

Iemitsu had brought them over to one of the nearest classrooms, "Now," he began after they were all seated, "I assume you have some questions," he pulled out a couple of small brochures ( _that had been mocked up just in case something like this happened. Thank God he had gone through with that farce.)_  "Tonight and as well as the next couple nights, our organization is holding a special competition to get a scholarship that would apply to any school that the selected student decides to go too."

"There is a selection process, so only those handpicked are told about this," he added, lacing his hands on top of the table as he eyed the two young girls. Colonello had said that he had given them a bit of a dose of his rain flames to make sure they stayed in bed, but it seemed either Colonello had miscalculated, or these two were a lot more than they seemed to be.

Not at all surprising considering they hung around his kids.

"Students are usually put through a course where they are allowed to show off their strengths, Sasagawa-kun being a boxer and one of the best for his age group in the Gifu Prefecture was given the task of going up against another, though they fall under a different category."

"Sawada Iemitsu...is that you?" Hana asked, looking over the names where it listed overseers, specialists, and the leading figure of the group. The dark haired girl looked up and gave Iemitsu another look, "Are you related to Natsume and Tsunayoshi?"

The blond nodded, giving them a sincere smile, "Yes, it is a pleasure to meet you two, my children have mentioned you in their phone calls with me." Even though that conversation had happened over a year ago, before Tsuna had gotten snippy with him.

"Wow," Kyoko sighed out, "I never would have guessed, though."

Hana nodded, eyes narrowing slightly at the man, because even though he had explained himself and given them information on what was happened, it still felt like he was holding something back, "If this is a chance to a scholarship, why didn't they just come out and say so?"

Iemitsu shrugged, "Since most of the candidates are male, I assume it had to something with their pride or honor; our competitions do have a history of being a bit messy, but it gets the best results."

Hana wrinkled her nose, handing Iemitsu her brochure and crossed her arms beneath her chest, "Boy's are idiots, but they should have known we would support them."

Kyoko held on to her brochure, nodding along with what Hana said, "They have been stressing over this, remember how odd they have been acting the last couple days?"

A phone rang and Iemitsu pulled out a cell, humming only in confirmation before he hung up. The chair he sat in screeched slightly as he pushed it back to stand up, "I am needed to confirm the results, let me escort you two out."

Feeling a little satisfied, though still just as confused ( _why didn't onii-san just say so? Why did he have to be so quiet about it?)_ Kyoko, with Hana trailing behind her made their way out. They weren't led up to the group, Colonello instead cut in, saying how he was tired and wanted to go home.

The girls didn't catch the look that was exchanged between the two blond's as they were led away.

"What did you tell them?" was the first thing that Tsuna asked as he came up on the group, Ryohei standing beside the brunet though looking expectantly at him.

"I suggest you look over that," he pulled out the brochure that Hana had handed back and gave it to Tsuna, "Congratulations are in order for you Sasagawa-kun –"

The white haired teen nodded dumbly as he was reminded of his victory and reminded of what had happened to his opponent.

"Tonight is an example of how everything will be playing out," Reborn butted in, taking over whatever Iemitsu was about to say and the blond let him. The kids were used to the hitman, not him, so it was best this come from someone they could actually trust. "Continue working hard and pushing yourselves, because your opponents will not hesitate when they come at you, understood?"

They all nodded, completely serious and perhaps a little apprehensive, "Turn in for the day then." And they all walked, Ryohei accompanying them, though he did have a tendency to limp. Reborn waited until they cleared out of the school before speaking to Iemitsu, "Any word from Nono?"

Iemitsu sighed, running a hand through his hair, the only tick he would let himself get away with showing how frustrated he really felt, "None, Oregano and the others are looking into it."

Reborn nodded, tipping his hat forward as he did so and began to walk away, "See you tomorrow Iemitsu." The man didn't respond, already flipping his phone and asking for an update for the agents he had stationed nearby.

With that done, Reborn thought over the fight that had happened, and wondered if Colonello had picked up on  _that_ feeling. There was only one person that would make  _him_ wary (they were the last person he wanted to see.)

For now he'd put back the niggling thought and focus on what was happening, no need to concern himself over them just yet.

He would wait until they made an appearance to actually worry about that.

/ | \

"Seems like there's a bit of a mess," Kawahira commented, taking in the mangled body that had been dragged into the bushes of the Sawada's front yard. He stood in front of Natsume, blocking off the full extent of the damage as dark indigo flames engulfed the body.

"Sensei…"

Kawahira turned around, a kind smile on his face, "There's no need for you to deal with this on your own," he said, a hand coming up to rub the head of the big cat that strolled up, it's maw looking slick with blood. "As long as you are my student, I will help clean these messes, though there will come a time where you will have to do so yourself."

Natsume eyed the white haired man; looking both a little upset, yet very pensive, "…thank you?"

The much older man shook his head, "There is no need for that," he answered, though he did reach out to ruffle her hair, earning a rather pouty frown. "Do not linger on why's and what if's, just do, understand? In this life that you have, it is best to rely on instinct and do, rather than ponder."

She smoothed her hair down, righting it to the previous way it had been, bangs framing her face instead of swept over to one side as they had been and she was at least sure that the rest of it wasn't sticking up. (Tsuna's hair was an answer of what hers might become if she didn't bother managing it, no way did she want it to look like that.)

"I'll try to remember that."

"Write it down, it's good to have a constant reminder," he said, head tilting slightly to the side as he made sure she wasn't about to have a similar reaction as she had over the bloody twins. "Well, have a goodnight."

"Goodnight Sensei."

He made his way out, knowing that sooner or later she would pick up on the flames he had left her with, but at least until then she wouldn't be feeling too much over another death – whether she had personally caused it or one of her constructs, it didn't matter.

Sadly it would just be something she would have to get used to.

Ka nudged her side and she relented, following after the cat and moving through the gate to make her way to the back of the house. The feline sat back on its haunches, head tilted to the side as if considering how it was going to make its way upstairs, Natsume starting to feel only a bit exhausted waved a hand so that a small flight of stairs appeared.

The first step she was careful with, but once sure that it was solid she hurried her way up to the roof and towards her open window (and was as careful as possible, though she wasn't in the habit anymore, she could easily trip over her own feet.)

She made a beeline for her bed, the clone of her that was already there, fading away without much though as she sat down on her bed, sighing with relief.. She barely managed to take her shoes off before she was laying down, pulling the spare blanket over her head and knocking out.

Even if she hadn't participated in the event, she felt as if she had (her nerves were a little frayed and that wasn't taking into account maintaining the pretty solid big cat here at home  _and_ interfering with both Hana's and Kyoko's perception.)

She felt the bed dip in front of her and she peeked through her lashes to see not only Emi, but Ka settled there as well.

"I think I probably used a lot more than I should have on you," she grumbled to the big cat, who was already fast asleep.

This probably wouldn't slide next time, but it was a learning experience.

At least she knew that her intentions with the cat transferred over, even if the ending of the person that dared trespass was a bit gruesome.

Oh well….she shut her eyes tightly, "s'pose this is my life now, huh?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Ka is the spiritual part of the human soul. And well, the big cat is pretty much a part of Natsume's, no?
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has commented, kudo'd and bookmarked this story so far, you all really push me forward! Also if I don't reply to the comments, its not because I don't have anything to say, I just hate how responses end up cluttering up the section. PMs are cool for me, but I still haven't played around with AO3 ;O
> 
> @Nostalgic_Beauty: Tsuna's trying to be the sibling that protects the other, but I think he forgets how his sister works *she can be pretty stubborn* Also you gave me an idea.....which...I had thought of playing with, but now I will probably do it. thank you for your review! :D


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or stuff.**

**Word Count:** 7982

* * *

_Part 31: Let's Figure This One Out_

"Oi, Natsume!" Hayato called after the girl, catching her just in time as she left the school building. The light haired girl looked around until she spotted him and headed towards him, greeting him with sighed ' _ayy'_ and a soft smile.

"Practice?" he asked, eyeing her duffle bug.

"We do have a game in less than two weeks."

"Should you be really pushing it so hard then?"

"Should you really be asking me that?" Natsume countered, crossing her arms against her chest, earning a huff of ' _whatever'_ from the silver haired teen. She left it, knowing that she could probably fluster him a little more if she pushed, but it wasn't the moment. "You weren't here today, what's up?"

"What are you doing after practice?"

Natsume raised a brow, though she didn't bat an eye, someone was bound to come ask her for something….right?

"Wondering around, why?"

"Convince the idiot cow not to fight tonight."

" _Awwe,_ Hayato you do care~"

"Shut up! The kids a brat, but he doesn't deserve whatever that creep has in store for him!" Hayato's stance became a little tenser, his shoulders held higher and his hands clasped tightly into fists at his sides. "You…you can hide him, can't you? Like you did that one time during –"

"I can't interfere like that," Natsume cut him off, looking away from the teen, trying to avoid the taken back look that Hayato was giving her. She took in a deep breath, glancing back at the teen, who was silently judging her ( _he looked so calculating and she was reminded that he was more than just a hotheaded and stubborn teen, he was intelligent and could come up with a strategy that more often than not worked against whatever Reborn had had in store for them._ )

"Yeah they wouldn't fall for that…."

"Hayato I have to go, I'll see you later, yeah?" and she left, saying the last bit over her shoulder.

Hayato watched her go. He cricked his neck to the side, sighing at the audible pops and let his body fall into a slouch. Perhaps the tenth would be able to convince the cow brat, though knowing the stubborn kid, he wouldn't budge and would try to insist that he was quite capable.

Well, he knew that Natsume wouldn't leave Lambo fending for himself.

She just wasn't the type to leave those she considered family to situations like that.

With that thought he turned on his heel, not wanting to be found out by Hibari and pulled into a fight with the head prefect. Once he was off the grounds, a cigarette was already between his lips, puffs of smoke trailing out of the corner of his mouth.

"Ready brat?" the tall, brunet man asked him, nose wrinkling in distaste as he realized Hayato was smoking. "Those things will kill you, eventually."

"Che," Hayato pulled the cigarette from his mouth, keeping it between his pointer and middle finger, thumb unconsciously tapping against it to be rid of the excess ash. "You ready to teach me now?"

The man huffed, crossing his arms against his chest, shaking his head side to side as he did so, "Your eyes and ears are open, but you still don't pay attention do you?"

"Well?"

"Hah, you never change do you, still a brat as always."

The pair began to walk, Hayato not bothering to answer that, though he did catch when the man kept his gaze on a pair of woman that had passed by, "Just like you, eh pervert?"

"Ah, you don't want to be like me kid."

Hayato didn't comment on that, letting the banter end as the two headed towards their usual practice area. It was near where Tsuna was training, though not close enough that the two would be distracted by whatever odd noise came from their respective places.

For the next two hours, Hayato would focus on getting down whatever Shamal was trying to teach him, until then he would put Lambo and the upcoming Lightening battle aside.

/ | \

"Short practice today!" one of the girls cheered happily, "So glad that's over!"

Natsume let the locker room chatter wash over her, more focused on the phone in her hand. She had gotten one of Longchamp's pictures, showing him and Pantera (who didn't seem happy at all that the red head had his arm thrown around her shoulders) while he threw up a peace sign, tongue sticking out as he did so.

' _Day one of Tokyo Disney complete!'_

She struggled a bit, but she managed to send an emoji that hopefully reflected how she felt about him rubbing it in his face that he was at Disney ( _the little face looked like it was crying ( ; o ; ).)_

"Alright girls, listen up, practice was short today only because coach had to be somewhere," Mirai spoke up, getting everyone's attention. Natsume snapped her phone shut, pocketing the light pink device in her back pocket without much thought. "It'll be another hour again tomorrow, off Sunday and then we'll resume our usual practice hours."

The platinum blond (whose roots were beginning to show, but would probably get them done in time for the big game) seemed to be pretty energetic, compared to her usual quiet demeanor ( _Kato-senpai was the more energetic one of the two, always offering advice and support, meanwhile Mirai-senpai…well….no one wanted to get lectured by her, she was very passionate and always seemed to go a bit more 'beyond' the proper amount of energy the sport needed.)_

"Rest up and take good care of yourselves!" Kato reminded everyone, her short purplish hair for once not in her face and held back by a headband. "Keep doing the stretches and your muscles won't hate you as much when you push them!~"

There was a chorus of 'aye, aye captain' that had the third year rolling her eyes, "Alright, alright, see all of your lovely faces tomorrow then!"

With that dismissal, everyone returned to what they had been doing, some of the girls leaving, while others finished up getting into their casual clothes.

"Oh hey there little fella, are you lost?"

"I'm looking for Sawada Natsume."

"Sawada, there's someone here for you," Kato's voice was loud enough for everyone to hear and some of the girls snickered, knowing that she liked to take her time in leaving, even if she was already dressed.

"See you all tomorrow," She said to the two beside her, who responded in similar. Natsume picked up her bags and shouldered them, heading towards the entrance where Reborn was waiting for. "Why are you here?"

"Tsuna's training was finished earlier than usual; I was going to suggest you go see him."

Natsume stepped out, not at all enjoying the heat that she felt. She pulled a little at the collar of her shirt, billowing it a little to get a bit of air going, "I feel like that's a lie."

Reborn only smiled innocently up at her, "I don't know what you're talking about."

She crouched down, boldly tapping down the edge of his hat with her free hand so that it tilted forward, "Of course you don't," she muttered, before standing up straight again. "If you want to play a game of telephone,  _I_ will be at home playing games with the kids."

' _and figuring something out for Lambo._ '

" _You_ are mistaken that I will take part in such a childish game," she had turned her back on him, so she hadn't expected the kick to the head that he aimed at her. It earned him a whine though it seemed to be more out of annoyance than actual pain. Natsume turned around, both of her hands rubbing at the back of her head.

" _You are a little shit."_

" _But I'm at least cute right?"_

Natsume pretended to shudder, " _You wish you were_ ," she responded in accented English, looking at him over her shoulder. " _Seriously didn't your mother ever teach you manners?"_

Reborn shrugged beginning to walk towards the school gates and passing Natsume, who trailed after him, " _I'm a self-made man."_

Natsume made a disbelieving sound, but didn't comment on it ( _he was the claimed World's Greatest Hitman, the reception he had received at Mafia Land only further proved that he wasn't just all talk.)_

"You're not going to go this way?" Reborn stopped as they exited school grounds, using his thumb to point to the left. The girl before him cocked her head to the side, brows slightly furrowed as she shook her head.

"I said I was going home, not to where Tsuna is."

"But he's your baby brother –"

"Okay  _and?"_

Reborn pouted, using his childish looks to the best of his abilities only to get a raised brow from the girl, "Are you trying to throw a tantrum? Cause if you are, I think Lambo does it better." His expression smoothed out at that, as much as he liked using his situation to string people along to do as he wanted, he wasn't about to fall to the level of an actual child (especially one like Lambo.)

"I thought you would be there for Tsuna in his time of need?"

The fair haired brunette was confused, "I'm more worried about Lambo? Tsuna's capable of watching out for himself and if he can't he has you to make sure he doesn't fuck up," she pointed at herself, " _I_ have nothing to do in this remember."

With that said she continued going right, towards her home, though she did pause, half turning to Reborn, "Plus if Tsuna really wanted to talk, he would have found me already."

Reborn watched her go, not at all moving from his spot; with a sigh the hitman went his own way, finding a decent alley way to go down. Indigo mist pooled at his feet and the image of Reborn faded, revealing a small cloaked baby.

"Shishi, didn't fall for it did she?"

The baby sniffed, floating up so that they could be eye level with the blond princeling, "More that she was stubborn." For a second they had thought the girl had been on to them, but there was no way, Mammon was too good to be caught by that.

"Maybe I should –"

"No, we're going back to the hotel."

"Hmph!" The blond reached and grabbed the small baby, holding them close to his chest, one hand pinching at their cheek. "Stop that Bel!" The teen only giggled, though he did stop.

"She doesn't seem interesting anyways, don't know why the Boss wanted her checked out."

"Interesting or not, she's still that brat's sister and could stand in the Boss's way of achieving his dream."

Still there was something missing, they pushed it to the side, deciding not to dwell on it right now. All they knew is that they wouldn't be passing as Reborn any time soon, the hitman's charisma was way too much energy to replicate.

/ | \

" _Ane_ home early," I-pin said, having peeked around Bianchi's legs to see who was at the door. The little Chinese girl went up to the teen, hand's reaching for hers.

"Hey, hey," Natsume greeted, not at all minding when Bianchi leaned down and kissed her cheek in greeting, her hand already holding onto I-pin's. "How was your week?"

Bianchi hummed, a sly smile on her lips, "Well you know, I met this lovely lady," here Bianchi got a dreamy look as she closed the door shut behind her, leaning back against it. "We had a sweet weekend together, but sadly it all came to an end."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Natsume responded, being sincere, letting go of I-pin's hand for a second as she set her bags down and bent down to unlace her shoes. She heard Bianchi sigh and wondered if Bianchi really was sad that she had left her lady friend behind.

"We fought towards the end, but it ended well on my part."

Wait a second "…Bianchi…."

"Hmm…"

"Did you have a  _work_  or did you honestly meet someone?"

Bianchi chuckled, reaching out and ruffling Natsume's hair, "Oh you're so cute, you know it's always work for me~"

"…."

"Besides I've already met the one for me."

Natsume face palmed, the palm of her hand rubbing against the bridge of her nose. She made a face and mouthed along with Bianchi,  _"Reborn~"_

"Say I-pin let's go play some games yeah?"

"I'll tell Lambo and Fuuta," the little girl said, running off to get the other two boys, leaving Natsume with Bianchi.

The younger teen turned to the older one, a thoughtful look on her face, "Do you just get used to it…this life.."

Bianchi crossed her arms beneath her chest, head tilted to the side as she considered Natsume's question. The eighteen year old could only shrug, "I was raised in it, so there was never really getting used to anything; it's just always been the way."

Bianchi lightly nibbled on her lower lip, "Perhaps that is a question for your father?"

Natsume rubbed the back of her head, "…I guess…"

The magenta haired woman uncrossed her arms, putting an arm around Natsume's shoulders as she led the girl further out of the way front doorway, "Never guess, always do."

"Don't I do that already?"

Bianchi chuckled, "Do you think so?"

"Ehh,  _I guess._ "

Bianchi reached up with her right hand and pinched Natsume's cheek, "Brat, go on up, I'm sure the kids are waiting for you."

"Fine, fine, I'll see you at dinner yes?"

The magenta haired woman nodded and the younger teen left, heading upstairs to meet up with the three kids. The sliding door leading to the back opened up, Nana coming in, the tinkle of Natsume's cat's collar sounded and Nana could be seen shaking her head.

"You have too much fun harassing the little animals don't you?"

"Auntie," Bianchi greeted, leaning on the back of the couch, getting the older woman's attention. It was always nice to see how calling Nana 'Auntie' always made her seem brighter, or when her mood was down how easily it was picked up by the simple name.

"Bianchi, it's nice to see you," the brunette greeted in return, "I'm going to wash up, do you mind taking out the pork I have in the freezer?"

"Of course, Auntie."

"Thank you."

Hm, maybe this time Nana would let her cook along with her, or at least make her own portion for herself. It was still a work in progress, but she was getting better at keeping her food from becoming tainted as it was prone to become due to her fluctuating flames.

Bianchi stared at her hands after setting the frozen meat in the sink and began filling it with hot water, maybe one day she'd be able to cook without fear of accidentally poisoning those she loved.

She wouldn't want anyone to end up like Hayato had, someone who could barely stomach her presence.

She clasped her hands, nails digging into the meaty part of her palm, one day.

_Part 32: This is a Game (A Very Bad Game)_

"The prince demands a gift!" Lambo cried, ignoring his  _ane's_ giggling and Fuuta rolling his eyes. The six year old huffed, stomping his feet as he crossed his arms against his chest and pouted angrily at his sister. " _Ane_ you're supposed to play along!"

"You just looked so cute!" Natsume cooed, reaching forward to poke Lambo's cheek. She bit on her tongue to refrain from saying anything else; instead continuing on the game I-pin had suggested they play. "O-of course my prince!" She turned to Fuuta, who was her helper in this little skit they were doing and opened the lid of the small treasure box he held.

She picked out a simple red woven bracelet that had smaller red and black coral charms – she had picked this up at Kawahira's shop, the bracelet reminding her of ones that she used to see her smaller cousins wearing to protect them from  _'_ evil eye' ( _she could barely hear the voice of a friend judging Jasmine for her belief, but it was custom to have a newborn or young child wear a bracelet with a black coral charm, or to cut a piece of red yarn roll it up and stick it to the child's forehead for protection against mal de ojo)_

"A bracelet for protection, to keep the bad glares and others negative feelings from hurting you, my prince," she explained as she tightened the end strings of the bracelet, making sure that Lambo himself would not be able to tug it off.

Lambo pulled his hand away, looking closely at the bracelet, before giving a snooty nod, "This is fine….for now."

And he moved onto I-pin, who offered a short demonstration of her martial arts.

"Maybe I should have said to play a board game instead," Fuuta whispered to Natsume, who shook her head as she bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Lambo still likes to boss others around."

"It's play for now," she responded, taking the small treasure box from Fuuta. She moved herself, getting off her knees as they were starting to hurt and sat down on her bottom, letting the box rest atop her lap. "Or is the  _real_ prince here jealous he couldn't play the part?"

Fuuta pouted a pink blush on his cheeks, "I would be a nicer prince than Lambo."

Natsume chuckled, tugging at the back of the nine year olds shirt and having him sit beside her, "To each their own."

" _Ane_ and Fuuta are really bad at this game," Lambo's voice piped up, his annoyance clear; especially with the way he crossed his arms and was childishly glaring at them.

"I guess I wasn't made for acting," Natsume sniffed, her hand coming as if to wipe away a tear. "So sad to find out this way."

Lambo frowned, "Ne, ne, I-pin lets go play outside, they suck."

"Let's try to find Emi!"

"Hey, leave my cat out of this you two!" but her warning fell on deaf ears as the two bounded off, in search for the amber eyed house cat. "Guys!" Natsume groaned, holding her head in her hands, if they returned to her crying about scratches again, she was just going to say I told you so.

"You've gotten better, Tsume-nee."

"Oh? It's Tsume-nee now?"

The nine year old smiled up at her, the boy looked much older than he should for a split second, before he shook his head, "Yeah, you and Tsuna-nii…I feel better around you two."

Awe, that was the sweetest thing.

Wait…did she have a soft spot for kids?

She ignored that thought, instead musing up Fuuta's hair, earning a soft cry from the boy, "I guess you're not that weird either, little brothers tend to be odd."

Tsuna was a good example of that, wasn't he?

Or was she just thinking that her brother was weird.

He  _did_ have a habit of sprouting flames, almost like that one character from the Fantastic Four. She should comment on that little power of his, just to give herself a giggle.

"You're just as weird, Tsume-nee."

"Hey, we're all a little weird, so it's okay."

/ | \

"Oh hey, its tall, dark and jacked up," Natsume commented to Takeshi, noting the nicks on the teen's arms. Her gaze moved to the handle of the shinai that was shouldered over his back, before back to him, "Do you need band aids?"

Takeshi blinked, looking at his forearms before shaking his head, "No, Tsuna wanted me to get Lambo."

"And where is this brother of mine?" Natsume asked, not budging from the doorway, crossing her arms beneath her chest and giving Takeshi a tight lipped smile. Takeshi didn't know how to feel about being on the receiving end of Natsume's narrowed stare, he reached out poked her forehead, and her expression shifted to slightly annoyed. "Really, do you have to do that?"

"Its just there, to poke," the baseball player explained lamely, enjoying the shift from annoyed to deadpan. Really he didn't understand why people used to say she looked mean – well yeah, she had a mean look to her sometimes – but she also did happen to show a lot of expression.

Then again, maybe its because they had been friends for over a year now, and if one knew how to read Tsuna, it made it a bit easier to pick up on Natsume's cues.

"Hey!" he moved back away from her prodding finger that she had poked into his stomach. She merely gave him an insincere smile.

"Oh I'm sorry –"

"Tsume~~ Is this your boyfriend?"

" _Papa,"_ she looked a little thrown off by the sudden appearance of her father and Takeshi took that moment to straighten up and maybe ignore the feel as if his ears were on fire by that comment Iemitsu had made. "Go back to sleep old man, you bother less when you're snoring."

Iemitsu rested an arm against the top of his daughter's head (she was still short, sooner or later he wouldn't be able to do this), "Come now Tsume, don't be shy; your  _Papa_ won't tease you."

"You know what, I'm not even going to bother," Natsume muttered, shaking her head so that her father's arms would fall away. "Is Tsuna outside?"

Takeshi nodded, "Yeah."

"He does realize its nearly eleven at night right? Lambo's sleeping…I don't think he –"

"Natsume," Iemitsu interrupted, already knowing where his daughter was going with this. "Lambo at least has to appear and hand over his half of the ring." Iemitsu held up his hands, now under his daughter's gaze. "I don't make the rules."

Natsume couldn't quite help the way her mouth curled up into a sneer, knowing her cop out hadn't worked, "I'm going then, to make sure Lambo stays safe when he hands over the ring."

"Didn't he say he wanted to fight?"

"He is six, he will listen to me, if not, someone better have mercy, because its not going to be me," Natsume grouched out as she headed back inside the house and upstairs to get Lambo. The two that were left behind stared, Takeshi already used to a grouchy and moody Natsume and Iemitsu feeling pleased at the care his daughter showed the young Bovino child.

The blond turned back to the teen before him; giving the teen another once over as he never really had a chance to actually talk to his son's selected guardians. "She's so cute when she gets all pouty like that, isn't she?"

"More like scary," Takeshi honestly answered, rubbing the back of his head, showing his nerves at talking with the twin's father.

"Oh no, she's not scary, she's like a kitten – violently playful," Iemitsu wheezed out at the end, when Natsume appeared again, digging her elbow into his side. Lambo was in her arms, head laid out against her shoulder and crossed over her body was her usual gym bag. "My little girl is so mean."

"It's how I show love," she blandly commented, gazing up at him, "Are you going?"

"In a bit…."

Natsume nodded, stepping out of the house, "I have everything Lambo will need in case he decides to be stubborn or just for whatever happens."

"I don't think it's allowed for those not….." Takeshi trailed off, when Natsume finally turned to him, brow raised. Well, it was always nice to have others around to lean on when things got tough, by the situation they were in, things were an absolute mess.

"Leggo~"

/ | \

"I want to fight!" Lambo yelled, wiggling around in Natsume's arms, when asked if he just wanted to hand over the ring and not bother fighting the creepy looking dude.

"Because watching an old creep fight a six year old is something I want to see," Natsume said loud enough for it to reach the Varia's Lightening.

"Oh, see even other people agree Levi!" laughed out the blond, making the older man's eyebrow twitch. Brats, all of them, rude and disrespectful, he didn't care what other people thought, but surely they would understand why he was doing this?

Xanxus deserved the seat of Decimo so much more than the brown haired shit stain before him and if it was demanded of him to fight and take down a child to assure his Boss' want, Levi would do everything in his power to do so.

"I can prove it against stinky face!" Lambo turned around after handing his half of the ring to one of the Cervello, while the other took his hand and led him into the gated arena. A tall fence had been set up on the roof of the school, it rose up from the ground a foot or two and if the by the whirring sounds that it was making, Natsume was going to assume that it was going to be a literal  _Lightening_ round.

"Lambo –"

"No Tsuna-nii! I can!"

"The idiot cows being a brat, you can step in whether he likes it or not," Hayato grouched out, the cigarette between his lips bouncing up and down as he spoke.

"If anyone other than the contestants enters the staging area, that side will be disqualified for this round."

"Does it matter?" Natsume asked, staring down the pink haired women, no one could see the way her hands fisted, her nails digging into her palm, having put them in the pocket of her burgundy hoodie. "That creep wants blood either way; he'll find a way to get it."

"That's cold, Natsume," Takeshi responded, wouldn't it be better for the other guy to come after them? They had already fought with him once, he was sure they could take him on again. The girl didn't even bother to look at him, just staring straight ahead as the fight between the two was explained.

" _Begin!_ "

A generator was turned on, making the whirring sound coming from the staging area roar to life, drowning out everyone's voices. The chain-link of the fences could be seen passing current, the faint whitish blue coloring of it sparking out every now and then.

The floor that was beneath Lambo and Levi glowed with a similar coloring, certain areas of the floor opening up at random and shooting up a small pillar of pure electricity; Levi pulled out two of his parabola's, sticking it in one of the open spaces that had opened up, keeping an ongoing flare of electricity, that began to power his weapons for his attack.

Seriously they had made this too easy for him and the little brattling was going to get a quick death, just so Levi wouldn't have to hear it from the others that he took his time beating down on a kid.

(Weren't they all doing that anyways? It was just his luck that the brat was fucking six years old.)

" _Oh shit_ ," Hayato cursed, when he dug into his pocket and instead of pulling out his cigs, he pulled out a crusted looking horn. His hand clenched tightly around the bull horn and looked intently at Lambo as he realized his mistake. A hand settled on his shoulder and he turned to Takeshi, who had reached around to place a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. The baseball player raised a brow and Hayato could only shake his head. The dark haired teen's movement caught Natsume's attention who looked between the two, before resuming back to the yet to begin fight.

"Fucking fry him already Levi!" Squalo called, annoyed that the man was taking so long, his shouting just barely heardd over the loud, thunderous roar of the stage.

Lambo watched the man, whipping up his parabola and aiming the tip of it at him and watched as a streak of green tinted electricity bound its way over to him. The six year old yelled, ducking beneath it, feeling his hairs stand on end as the electricity grazed him.

Okay, maybe he regreted not listening to  _Ane_ , but, he had too! He had to prove himself, to Tsuna-nii and  _Ane_ , he had to show them that he was happy and willing to do anything for them. He was small and maybe a bit of a crybaby, but he knew honor (which had been ingrained into him since his lessons as an assassin began) and he, he was very honored ( _no, no, nonono, he was happy, he had people he could call family, that didn't care what he did, that didn't expect anything from him, that just wanted him to be happy_.)

He sniffled, feeling the stress of the situation, digging into his hair (when was the last time he had done that?) and pulled out a pink smoke grenade, that he quickly undid and threw as hard as he could at Levi. When the smoke burst, covering the area, Lambo moved quickly, reaching for his bazooka – he was too small, too weak to do anything, but his older self…..he was supposed to be a cool, strong guy right?

That guy had to have the ring, so maybe he could do something against this creep.

The smoke barely cleared when another explosion went off and Levi caught the slight scent of grape among the pink smoke and was surprised when he came face to face with an older looking version of the brat.

"That's cheating!"

"It is the same person and it happened within grounds, it is allowed."

Tsuna could have let himself fall over from the sheer relief he felt, maybe, the sixteen year old Lambo was capable of doing what his younger self wasn't at all.

He just hoped he didn't ruin the teen's future.

/ | \

Five minutes slowly ticking away and Natsume wondered if this version of Lambo was capable of fighting the other sides Lightening. When the teen flicked his wrist out, a wispy version of his horn appearing on his hand before he stomped over on one of the ducts, the pressure forcing it open and coating the Italian teen with electricity,

"You haven't changed much, Levi," Lambo muttered to himself as he ducked beneath the man's swing, said man having grown tired of waiting on him ( _so impatient_ ,  _shouldn't he know patience_?) Lambo pushed both his hands out, putting as much force and focusing much more of his energy to guide the electricity that was circling his body and forcing it out of his hands, into the man in front of him.

Levi grunted, not used to the amount of electricity that pumped into him and if he froze for a second, his muscles contracting and refusing to move, who could blame him? ( _The Varia, would actually for not being smarter_.)

Lambo moved, almost as if he was gliding around Levi and kicked the man's knee out, forcing him to go to the floor.

Three minutes, he had to make this count.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a rather thick tube the size of a pencil; flicking his wrist once more, the tube elongated and he focused the last remaining bit of electricity into the small baton and used it to whack the back of Levi's neck.

Levi could feel himself blacking out ( _being forced too, by a god damn brat_ ) and anger surged through him. The man roared, pure will guiding his body to move and used the parabola he still had in hand (his fingers had clenched tightly around it, he would have to replace the handle later on) and hit Lambo's side with it full force.

The teen felt a crack and then his body was rolling across the floor, watching as a ticked off Levi forced himself up, his movements jerky as he did so. When the man turned to him, Lambo caught the eerie green in his eyes and cursed.

Two minutes.

He didn't have time when Levi moved upon him, he didn't have time to load up the bazooka and shoot one final round. The sixteen year old wouldn't be able to get to the man again now that his guard was up and even if he could, Levi wasn't falling for it again.

One minute.

Oh shit.

This wasn't good.

" _Call the fight!_ " he yelled.

He knew the Cervello had heard him, even if the stage they were on drowned out his words, they should know what he was saying, what he was trying to do. His back was to the others and he felt sick to his stomach. His hands began to shake as he watched Levi pull out the rest of his parabola's, he was done for, his younger self.

God dammit.

The bracelet around his right wrist jingled and he looked down at the gold plated bracelet, with black and red coral charms and he felt a sense of relief wash over him.

He could only hope that his  _Ane_ had given him that bracelet.

Levi was as much to warrant the protection that the bracelet offered. Lambo bowed his head, his other hand coming to clench at the cross that laid beneath his shirt, " _God help."_

A plume of pink smoke enveloped him once more, Levi's attack had already gone off and Tsuna and the others yelled as they saw the small outline in the pink smoke.

Reborn who had stood back with Dino, closed his eyes, pulling down the brim of his fedora to hide the sight he was about to witness.

He was too old for this.

There was a heavy silence once the attack dyed down, the stage having gone down from the amount of power being forced upon it.

"Lambo!"

"He yields," Natsume's voice called, shaking as she stalked towards the Cervello. The pink haired women watched as the Sky ring bearer followed behind her, a cross look on his features and the women didn't get the chance to say anything as Tsuna pretty much pushed past his sister and melted down the gate with a flare of his flames.

"The fighter himself is supposed to –"

"The fighter is passed out, it's over," Natsume hissed, glaring nastily at the woman as Tsuna moved through the field, ignoring Levi who had been thrown back and moving towards Lambo who was passed out on the floor.

The purple shield that had been erected kept sparking as Tsuna gingerly looked over Lambo. He wasn't hurt at all, he must have passed out from fright and even though it would probably scar the child, Tsuna was glad that he wasn't any worse off.

"The fight as it has not been called is over due to interference on behalf of the Sky ring bearer trespassing onto the field; the Lightening and Sky half of the rings are to be handed over from Vongola to the Varia."

"Oh go fuck yourself," Natsume cursed at them, flipping them off as she made her way over to Tsuna. She crouched beside Tsuna, who looked between her and the shield, was this the reason she hadn't fought that hard to keep Lambo from going into the fight? "Don't pick him up yet, we don't know if he hurt himself or anything."

"You think if we give the halves to Takeshi and ask him to throw them, they'll catch it?" Tsuna asked, slipping off the chain around his neck and holding it by the end so that the ring half dangled.

"That would be –"

Her comment was interrupted by mad laughter, which props, because who cackled like that anymore? ( _she did when the situation was hilarious, but she didn't find anything funny about this.)_ Tsuna honestly couldn't put his finger on  _why_ he was so calm, he had been shaking minutes earlier, ready to renounce everything, because he couldn't stand for this anymore.

He didn't know how his sister was staying so calm (when things like this happened she was the first to lash out, not even taking into account that the others were just saying mean words, instead of putting their hands on him.  _They had changed a lot hadn't they?_ )

A gun shot rang out and another barrier similar to the one that had begun to fall apart appeared, deflecting it away from them (if it happened to get Levi in the leg, Tsuna would just put it as his sister getting even in her own way.)

"The Sky half, Sawada Tsunayoshi," one of the pink haired Cervello approached him, while the other went to Levi to hand him his half of the ring.

"Oi, oi, tell him he finally has a ring to put on that stick up his ass," Natsume told the woman, the sound of her voice a touch different, almost hypnotic and the pink haired woman couldn't help but nod.

She was so petty.

But that  _lolo_ assed fuck face deserved it and if she relished a little in the backhand the man gave the woman, well, more fire against the man to hurt on the judge that was handing him his prize.

"Is this what Vongola stands for?" Tsuna yelled at him, mad that he had done as he had to the judge ( _Natsume would claim innocence, she had been joking, if the woman had the balls to do as she said well…..hahaha~_ )

Xanxus sneered down at Tsuna, looking away from the completed ring that now sat on his right hand's ring finger, "You think I give a shit? Scum like you don't know shit about this life," Xanxus gave a rather wicked grin, "I'm just helping you," and it was helping him out by getting what he deserved, no matter what, "Can't no one ever fucking appreciate the shit I do."

"You'll learn soon enough though," Xanxus said, eyeing Tsuna, his gaze flicking over to the spot Iemitsu had hidden himself in and Reborn. "Just like that old fool."

With that said, Xanxus left, the others minus Levi moving on, who hadn't been awake for the last half of what his Boss had said, his own body finally letting itself fall to the pain it had been subjected too.

"I feel like that was rather ominous," Natsume murmured quietly, her hands (which were shaking) reaching for Tsuna's and giving it a tight squeeze. Tsuna only sighed, squeezing back and turning to his sister, he moved forward slightly and let his forehead fall against her shoulder ( _she was taller than him now and he thought he had been growing.)_

"This is exhausting," he commented into her shoulder, voice muffled. "Tsume…"

"Hmm?"

" _Thank you for being here."_

Lambo was still out, but he wasn't hurt physically, Tsuna may have lost his own ring, but as he felt hands on his back and he peered up to see Takeshi and Hayato standing beside him, even Ryohei, who hadn't been able to show up with the others because Kyoko had kept him back, had managed to make it and was standing to Natsume's right, the teen looking unusually solemn, but still there.

"… _.everyone too."_

"Medic coming through," they all moved as a pair of medics came and picked Lambo up onto the stretcher, before carrying him away, Dino who had come up behind them the medics stayed with the group of teens, ruffling Tsuna's hair.

"Xanxus won't ever understand this," Dino murmured to Tsuna, once the teen straightened up, letting his big bro throw an arm around him, while the others began to move out. "Whatever happens little bro, I know that you can do it, because you get it."

"Get what exactly?" Tsuna grumbled, feeling exhausted, these battles were making him feel like an old man.

"Family."

_Intermission 13_

_I'm trying to be strong for myself, for my friends and my family._

_I want to be able to protect them, I want to be the person that they can look up too (that they can really, truly follow) and be worth it._

_I was glad Natsume was there, but at the same time she shouldn't have had to do what she did. She didn't have to put herself in danger like that, not anymore, not after I've been distant with her the last couple of days._

_Lambo shouldn't have had to be there either, but dad, he's an idiot,_ what the hell was he thinking?  _He's just so lucky that it didn't go as bad as it could have gone (Hayato says he went to Natsume, but knowing my sister she was already trying to figure out ways to make sure Lambo was fine…..how_ did  _she do it though?)_

_I don't like that every one of my friends is getting dragged into this, that they're putting themselves on the line for me. (How will I explain it to old man Tsuyoshi when Takeshi comes home hurt, how could I tell Kyoko that her brother joined me?)_

_I'm the one._

_It's me._

_I was chosen, even if I don't like it._

_So it should have just been between me and Xanxus, none of these stupid battles that just served for them to beat down on us (a part of me whispered that it was better this way, I had more time to get better than I was before and every moment that passed, every thought I had of what could happen to my friends, gave me more push to be better, to prove that I was worth it.)_

_It's too late already to turn back – not when Mukuro already happened, not with Xanxus bearing down our necks. I have to go through with this._

_I will prove to everyone that I am capable._

_I will make my family proud._

_Fuck Vongola, I will make sure that name burns and something better rises from the ashes._

_Vongola will be…..reborn…._

_(….the thought was terrible, but it made me laugh.)_

/ | \

The medics had cleared Lambo right away, though Levi had been taken off to who knows where (nobody cared though, so it really didn't matter that much.) Dino had been nice enough to drop them all off at the Sawada house, where Ryohei quickly laid out on the couch, Hayato throwing whispered curses at the white haired teen, while Takeshi just headed into the kitchen to make some tea.

Tsuna carried Lambo upstairs to tuck him into bed, not at all caring that it wasn't Natsume that was behind him but his father. He was careful in walking through the children's room and setting Lambo in, lingering around longer to check on the others before he made his way out.

He left the door slightly open and headed to his room, once again ignoring his father that had leaned against the wall beside his door. Iemitsu stuck is arm out, blocking Tsuna's way and the teen cast a rather dirty look up at him.

Well, he's faced worse he supposed.

"Can we actually talk, instead of this?"

"Define this," Tsuna nearly spat out, stepping back and crossing his arms, showing that he was going to be stubborn about it.

"This being you giving me a dirty look and trying to get away from me," Iemitsu answered, trying not to mimic his son (a habit he had picked up when dealing with others, it helped sometimes, most people didn't like it when others mirrored what they were doing.)

"I'm trying to get –"

"Into your room, which is away from me," Iemitsu interrupted, sighing a bit afterwards. "We will have to talk eventually; this will only get worse if you continue to act like this."

"Hie? So it's my fault because of how I am acting?" Tsuna questioned, though he tried to keep his voice down, the anger was evident. "You're the one who brought me into this, you're the one who has kept secrets,  _who always leaves us behind,_ and just because  _you_ want to talk you think you deserve to have me hear you out?"

"Tsunayoshi…"

" _No_ , I will speak with you when  _I_  decide too, not because  _you_ decided too," his words were final and Iemitsu could sense that. The blond man nodded and headed downstairs, leaving his son to enter his room and probably scream his frustrations into his pillow.

When he came downstairs it was to find Takeshi and Natsume at the table sharing tea, the girl seeming unamused over something the other teen had said. Iemitsu passed by them, lightly patting his daughters head and murmured a goodnight to the rest of them, before heading towards Nana's room.

He supposed he may have closed the door a little too hard; Nana had stirred murmuring something out to him, before she settled back down. He went about taking off his suit in exchange for his nightclothes and settled on his stomach, enjoying the coolness of the pillow.

"Iemitsu?" Nana's sleep filled voice called out to him, one of her hands reaching out and settling on his shoulder. "Everything okay?"

"As fine as it could be, Nana," he answered, settling his head so that he could face her. "Nana…." He spoke up after a couple minutes, her hand having moved and was combing through his hair. His wife hummed and though he really couldn't see her in the dark, he could see her dark eyes, half lidded with sleep staring at him attentively. "….do you hate me?"

Nana shifted, moving over so that she could rest completely against Iemitsu, "Never," she answered, placing a kiss on his shoulder, she had given too much, had felt too much for this man to ever hate him. Yes, she was hurt that he had lied, but he was still her love. "Why do you ask?"

"Wouldn't it be better if you did?"

Nana chuckled, the sound rougher than usual due to her not really being that awake yet, "Let me guess, Tsunayoshi?"

"Good one."

"As fickle and as moody as Natsume has been known to be, you cannot forget that Tsunayoshi can be just as bad; give it time, Tsunayoshi will come to you when he's gathered himself."

She knew best, after spending her years with the kids, raising them and dealing with the headaches and bruises they brought along, but it wasn't as easily done as it was said, "Tsunayoshi –"

"Has my  _Papa's_ temper, he will come around when he has had time to cool off Iemitsu."

Would Tsuna ever come around? It didn't look like he would anytime soon.

" _Husband,"_

" _Wife?"_

" _Go to sleep, I can hear you thinking."_

Thoughts for tomorrow then.

/ | \

_Just like that old fool._

Iemitsu sat up, pushing himself out of bed, making sure to swipe his phone from his nightstand and made his way out of Nana's room and headed outside. He was surprisingly hot, his dreams none existent, just a constant blankness accompanied by an uneasy feeling.

… _like that old fool._

The grass was cool beneath his bare feet, the cool night breeze a welcome change and he pulled at his tank top, hoping to get some air as he fanned himself.

He pressed a button on the keyboard of his phone, bringing the device up to his ear, counted two rings before Oregano picked up and a simple, " _Sir_ " was heard.

"Look into  _Nono_  without raising any alarms, something came up on my end and it is not sitting well with me."

" _Of course Boss."_

"With care, Oregano, I am trusting you."

The call ended there and Iemitsu sighed, his right hand falling at his side while the one that had been fanning his shirt settled on his hip. He had a feeling he'll be stepping on toes and breaking promises, but something about what Xanxus had said last night, the way he was so sure and so damned pleased over something, it didn't sit well with Iemitsu at all.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not as extreme of a meeting as it happened the first time I did this scene in the other story, but I think it goes alot better than before. Then again I've been sitting on this for awhile and just rereading, so its as close as to my liking as it'll get.
> 
> Lolo is Hawaiian and is used to either mean crazy or to refer to someone as stupid.
> 
> But yeah, uh, not much that I think I have to say, except I may have fallen into a small pit, but its getting fixed.
> 
> Anyways Enjoy!


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or stuff.**

**Word Count:** 8304

* * *

_Part 33: Day Three of Seven_

Takeshi and the others ended up camping out in the living room, most of them were woken up to the sound of someone falling down the stairs, a groan of despair filling the air as the person registered their face planting against the floor.

A tinkling bell and Hayato felt a weight settle on his upper chest, a pair of paws settling along his throat. Jade eyes blinked open, hoping to just brush off the crash and get some more rest, but with the cat (and probably the cause of the crash) sitting itself on his chest, he couldn’t exactly do that.

“Get off you ball of fur,” he grouched, lightly tapping the cat’s behind in hopes of getting it to move, like he had seen Natsume do when she wanted to get the cat out of the way (he wasn’t about to shove it aside, Natsume got mad the last time he had just straight up pushed the cat aside.) The cat saw the incoming hand as a play thing and raised its orange paw up to bat at Hayato’s hand, which the silver haired teen cursed at because its claws had lightly dug into his skin.

“Emi,” Natsume groaned, finally having picked herself up, feeling her face burning up because _wow_ wasn’t that embarrassing. “ _You dick.”_

“You okay Sawada?” Ryohei called to the fair haired brunette, who had been the only one really up, but had chosen to just stay laying down on the couch. He had seen when the girl toppled down the last couple stairs when the nearly all black cat had gotten between her legs and tripped her up.

“Awesome,” the girl responded a bit weakly as she moved towards the glass sliding door, Emi hearing the door open up, bounded off of Hayato’s chest and made her way outside, making a nuisance of herself as she sat beside her bowl and waited for her food. Mutterings of ‘you spoilt little shit’ could be heard as the three of them started stretching up, Hayato accidentally kicking Tsuna because _somehow_ the brunet had fallen off the couch he had been on and ended up near his feet.

“Ow, _Hayato I trusted you_ ….”

“It’s good to see you all waking up on your own,” Reborn piped up, already having a steaming cup of coffee in his hand.

“We woke up to Natsume face planting actually,” Takeshi corrected, feeling the girl’s stare as she came back in and heard him.

“ _Fight me.”_

The baseball player laughed in response, giving the girl a sly smile, “I’d like to see you try.” Takeshi couldn’t pick up on what Natsume thought on that, but the bland smile she ended up giving up gave him the chills.

“Whenever you’re ready, Takeshi~”

Hayato couldn’t help but stare after the girl as she bounded upstairs, before looking at the rather stunned Takeshi ( _why was the idiot blushing, all she did was agree.)_ Ryohei was the only one who thumped Takeshi on the back, telling him good one, “Didn’t she trash you the last time you guys sparred?”

“That was months ago,” Takeshi responded after clearing his throat. “I’m way better now.”

Reborn watched over all this, sipping at his drink and wondered if any of this kids realized just how much a mist could actually fuck them up (did they not remember Mukuro?) Judging by the standards the girl cast the bit of illusions he had last seen, whoever was instructing was doing a damned good job at pulling the best out of Natsume.

(Kawahira sneezed, actually burning himself on his tea and mildly cursed at whoever brought this on him.)

Reborn looked down at his pajama shirt when he felt warmth on his belly and was annoyed over the small coffee stain he spotted. He had just washed this too.

/ | \

“Ryohei you’re actually going to school today?” Natsume asked after the others had split off, the white haired boxer staying beside her.

“Yep! Kyoko’s bringing me my uniform since I don’t have mine.”

“Hm, I feel like she’ll end up sending you home,” she said, the other teen’s response was to shrug one shoulder, as if saying if it happens, it happens. It was silent for quite a while after that, when they reached the gates, Kyoko was outside waiting for Ryohei, Hana standing beside her looking her usual annoyed self.

“You know Sawada with the way things are going on,” Ryohei spoke up stopping before Kyoko noticed him. Natsume paused a few steps in front of him, half turning to look at him and giving him a questioning look. “As a big brother to another big sister, can I ask you a favor?”

“….depends…” Natsume answered, already having an idea of what the favor was.

“If anything ever happens, can you take care of Kyoko?”

Natsume didn’t answer right away, casting a look at the auburn haired girl that was waiting at the gates for them, “She’s my friend, Ryohei.”

The white haired teen stared down the girl before him, not really knowing how to take her answer. So what if Kyoko was her friend, some people were only friends because they saw each other every day at school, was Kyoko as dear of a friend to her as his sister considered Natsume to be?

“ _Mama_ has some moves from the old days, _y’know,_ wouldn’t mind showing someone else how to protect themselves.”

“So….”

Natsume sighed, “Yes, Ryohei, she’s my friend, why the hell wouldn’t I – gack!” she was cut off as Ryohei threw an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in and _was he giving her a noogie?_

“You’re awesome Sawada!”

Kyoko heard her brother’s voice, eyes falling on her brother pulling in Natsume and _oh s_ he should really go get Natsume out of that.

“You would think he’d contain himself until he’s with his friends,” she heard Hana utter beside her and Kyoko couldn’t help but agree.

Then again, it was Ryohei and Natsume had probably said or done something that he really approved of for him to be acting like that with her. When Kyoko approached them, it was to Ryohei sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, while he shook his other hand in front of him, “That hurt, Sawada.”

“ _Natsume,_ please, if you’re going to be treating me like that.”

“Ehh, I’m just treating you like one of the guys!”

Hana smothered a laugh at Natsume’s offended expression and she pulled the girl to her side, keeping an arm over the shorter teen’s shoulder to keep her from jumping Ryohei as she had seen her do when Takeshi made a comment regarding her height or when he and Tsuna teamed up on teasing her.

“Calm down there hot shot.”

“Fight me Hana.”

“Onii-san,” Kyoko chastised, forcing Ryohei’s bag into his hands and getting a clueless look in return. “Don’t say things like that.”

“What, why?”

“I’m going to fight you too.”

Hana gave a brief squeeze, getting an odd little whine from Natsume, “Are you doing that again?”

“What…”

“Saying you’ll fight people.”

Kyoko sighed; fighting the urge to rub her head at the troublesome people she was surrounded by, “No fighting people. Onii-san, you have ten minutes to go change before the first bell rings.” Ryohei flashed his sister a thumbs up, ruffling her hair as a thank you as he bounded off towards the locker rooms. Kyoko watched her brother go, hands on her hips as she slightly shook her head and when she finally turned her attention to Natsume, the girl couldn’t help but freeze at the stern look on Kyoko’s face.

“You are in a better mood than usual, Natsume,” The auburn haired girl chirped, “Maybe instead of ignoring us at lunch, you can actually sit and talk with us?”

Oh.

Kyoko’s stern, yet serene expression betrayed nothing; Hana’s very knowing smirk told Natsume she wasn’t getting out of it.

Ugh.

“Haven’t I been doing that?”

Kyoko hummed, beginning to walk towards the school, Hana following after and pretty much dragging Natsume beside her, “There’s a difference between just sitting there and actually being there and chatting with us.”

“Your attention is either on volleyball or going to wherever it is you disappear off to after practice.”

“The big game _is_ coming up –“

“Please don’t be another Takeshi,” Hana finally pulled her arm away from her, though not before lightly tugging on Natsume’s braid. “He’s obsessed enough with his sport….just…. _don’t.”_

“There’s nothing much that really makes me an interesting person then,” Natsume responded, her face scrunched up in thought. Ever since Sport’s day at the beginning of the year, most people only really knew her as a decent volleyball player, and some people still remembered how over protective she was of Tsuna.

That was pretty much it for her.

(She tried not to think much on it, but it was usually the others who added to the conversation, on her behalf she felt like she just disrupted it to make either lame jokes or have her own little input. _At least that’s how she felt…that probably wasn’t the case…hadn’t Jasmine felt the same way? Or…ugh…_ )

They were inside as Natsume took off her shoes and mulled over her thoughts as she opened up her shoe locker and pulled out her school slippers and put in her current shoes, not really noticing the look that was shared between Kyoko and Hana.

“Hey Natsume, how about a sleep over tonight?” Kyoko finally asked after switching out her own shoes. There was a brightness to the other girl’s eye when Kyoko said that, “We can get cakes~”

“A girl’s night, I’ll invite Haru as well, oh come on don’t be like that,” Kyoko chastised, just barely hearing the other girl mutter _‘but she hit me once._ “We can bake and do each other’s make up –“

“And lose ourselves over boys,” Hana deadpanned, shaking her head as Kyoko got a little carried away, the girl just nodding eagerly at her words.

It was in moments like these that Hana never doubted that Kyoko and Ryohei were related, the two could get quite passionate about their interests – dressing up and preparing for a girls night, was definitely something Kyoko liked to go overboard with.

/ | \

“Sawada, why didn’t you say you had a phone?”

Natsume snapped the flip phone shut, hiding it behind her back, even though her teammates had already seen the little pink device, “A what?”

“If we knew you had that, contacting you would be so much easier instead of hunting you down!” one of the other second years, who was in classroom 2C piped up.

“You rarely do that unless there’s a sudden change in schedule,” Natsume commented, hands on her hips not at all caring that she was just in her practice shirt and little else.

“Put some shorts on and then argue,” a third year commented, who was already dressed and ready to go.

“Fight me Watanabe,” the second year (who was in the midst of changing into her shorts), called to the red head. “We could have been hanging out as well and you could tell us things that Gokudera-kun likes~”

“Yeah, Kimmie’s right~”

“Sawada’s so lucky to get to hang out with such cute guys –“

Natsume brought up her free hand, her hand covering over her nose and lower half of her face, “Why me?” She sighed out, putting her phone away into her bag and pulling out her shorts and her kneepads.  “Wait, wait,” Natsume called out, thinking over what one of the girl’s had just said, “Does that mean you  think my brother’s cute?”

There was a silence, the two third years still there shook their heads, nose slightly scrunched while the others seemed to really be thinking about it, “Sawada-kun is adorable….” Kimmie amended finally, “You guys are twins right, you weren’t just held back or something.”

“Totally sure we are twins.” Fraternal twins, but twins nonetheless.

“He has grown up a lot, he’s gotten a lot better too, he doesn’t mess up in class as much as I remember he used too,” another girl considered, one that Natsume recalled going to elementary school with. “I don’t understand why people always picked on you two; honestly, minus the bitch face you’re pretty cool Sawada.”

“…..bitch face?” Natsume asked, her hands coming up to cup her cheeks, frowning in confusion, while the other three around her began snickering.

“Oh yaa,” Hayashi dragged out, a girl with short cropped hair and was one of the reserves for the game. “Big time, you always look so mean.”

“I’m not mean though.”

Kimmie sputtered out a cough, “Sure, sure, of course not Sawada –“

“We all do it sometimes, but I think yours might be chronic,” Hayashi continued on, ignoring the other second year who continued dying (well not literally, but she might have ended up choking on her spit by the way she had inhaled her earlier.) “Come to think of it, you’ve always looked rather put out when we were younger, I think it just evolved.”

“Like a Pokémon?” She couldn’t help but ask, trying not to laugh at her own lameness, though she did get a laugh from someone.

“Oi! Come on girls! Daylights wasting!”

“But Mirai-senpai we’re inside the gym, the lights are always on!”

“….All of you come on, let’s go!”

Natsume actually laughed this time, clicking the lock on her locker shut and spinning the wheel before she followed behind the others.

_Intermission 14_

_You know it’d been awhile since I thought of Jasmine, she really doesn’t bother me as much as she used too. Of course sometimes I’ll try to reflect on her, compare the differences between us and how we acted and felt. I’m going to assume, but maybe things have settled between us (random memories of hers didn’t pop out at me anymore) – I don’t get the anxious feeling of knowing somethings going to happen, or a sense of déjà vu when something is brought up._

_That doesn’t mean I’m not worried or anxious about what’s currently happening (because that’s the big situation, the Ring Thing and it’s not even something I’m directly involved in, I’m just an outsider now, just watching and hoping things turn out for the best – which I have already kind of indirectly messed up, now that I think about it….)_

_Agh, maybe I have been in my head too much lately, but then again I’ve also been trying to distract myself by over focusing myself in one thing and volleyball is oddly therapeutic, even if the skin burns I earned when I ended up sliding against the gym floor hurt like a bitch._

_Speaking of therapeutic – thanks Jasmine for that big word, haha, not – did Mafia psychologists exist? I mean, I think Reborn, or was it Hayato that had said that the usually absent school doctor was a Mafia Doctor._

_…….oh great…an idea is hitting me…_

_…and I just might be in school for a little while longer than I thought._

_Hana and Kyoko will be glad that I might want a higher education._

_I just hope that this time around I do get through school, if not I’m going to be pissed in the next life._

_Part 34: A Clue? Yes…A Clue_

“So you have an idea.”

“That’s usually what thoughts are, ideas that come and go,” Hayato responded, having taken a break from trying to blow up the small remote control airplane that Shamal had gotten for their last ‘lesson’ today.

“Save the sass brat, it’s not cute coming from you,” Shamal said, lightly thumping the back of the silver haired teens head. “Seriously after all these years and still no respect.”

“Che, after all these years and you still don’t have a wife.”

Shamal gave a halfhearted sigh, his right hand coming up over his heart, “And break the hearts of all those poor women who haven’t had a chance with me? I could never do such a thing…”

“I doubt women want an old goat like you.”

This time Shamal was a little heavier handed to the smack upside Hayato’s head, “You should learn some respect.”

Hayato scoffed, ignoring the stinging feel at the back of his head, “So….this Prince the Ripper….what’s he like.”

“You ask now what your opponent is like, a little late for that, no?”

Shamal wasn’t intimidated at all by the glare Hayato gave him, he had been doing this for too long to let a little brat like the kid before him ever get the best of him, “A genius, more so than you’ll probably ever be,” Shamal gave Hayato his own hard look, making the kid quiet down before he got loud. “Sixteen years old and considered good enough to not only be part of the Varia, but to be one of Xanxus’ Guardians, the kids a total loose screw though.”

Perhaps the worst loose screw to meet and if Hayato had any mind to him, he would try to find the quickest way possible and move first before Belphegor decided to play with him. Both Storms were mid distance fighters, Hayato more so depending on his dynamite, while Belphegor still had the chance to get up close and personal with one of those blades of his.

A good plan to consider would be to having an ongoing smokescreen or get Belphegor before the blond set his own rhythm to the fight.

Rumor had it that the ‘Prince’ liked to play and though he acted as if teaching Hayato was one of the most troublesome things to do, he rather liked the punk and wanted the kid to actually finish growing up. Hayato had changed a lot since Shamal had bothered giving him a few pointers and the Doctor really wanted to see how far he would go.

It was just getting through tonight alive that would be the issue.

/ | \

Hana elbowed Natsume, who returned the gesture, feeling her cheeks warming up. Kyoko didn’t realize it as she thanked the older teen behind the counter as he handed over their order of desserts.

“He’s hard working, mature, and good looking, just your type Hana,” Natsume whispered to the taller girl. “Imagine all the cakes–“

“Shut up Natsume,” Hana grit out feeling her ears and cheeks burning red even after they stepped out of the bakery and headed towards the café to meet up with Haru who had gone to get their drinks.

“Hana, don’t be like that!”

“Yeah,” Natsume picked up, moving to walk on the other side of Kyoko, keeping the shorter girl between her and Hana. “Don’t be like that.”

“You –“

“You started it and I finished it, deal with it,” For a split second Natsume wished she had a pair of sunglasses so she could just slip them over her eyes and strike a pose and then the moment was gone when Haru called out to them as she exited the café, a to-go tray of drinks in her hands.

“Thank you for coming, Haru-chan, last minute as it was.”

The girl smiled, waving off Kyoko’s thanks. Unlike them she was dressed down in regular clothes, “I don’t have Saturday classes anymore and anyways why would I miss out on hanging out with all of you?”

“The last time was the beach trip, no?” Natsume asked, fixing the straps of her bags so they didn’t slip off of her shoulders.

“Last time I saw you, I’ve seen Kyoko and Hana a couple of times after that.”

“I feel unloved.”

“You always run off to your practice and wherever it is you disappear too –“

“You’re bringing that up again Hana, do you have an issue?”

“If you had a phone, contacting you would be a lot easier,” Hana continued on as if Natsume hadn’t interrupted her, actually speaking over the girl who gave her a playful smile. Hana could feel her brow twitch, a tick beginning to appear and was about to rattle off what she did have an issue with, when Natsume spoke up again.

“Is Hana jealous because I’m not giving her attention?”

The tick at her right brow got worse, _no,_ that was _not the issue._ The issue was that everyone was acting weird and secretive and if Kyoko and her hadn’t gone out that other night, they’d still have no idea what the others were up too. It may not have been obvious to the others, but Hana noted the difference in everyone, _especially_ Natsume and it had all changed over a month ago.

It wasn’t like it had been a physical or obvious difference, something about her best friend just felt off, and Hana had a feeling that the others wouldn’t notice.

Hell, Kyoko had barely noticed today when Natsume had idly made that comment about herself.

“I’ll do better, Hana,” said girl dug about her school bag and pulled out a pink flip phone, “I actually kind of have a phone now.”

“….Since when?”

“A…couple of days I think…”

Haru pouted, “Mou, that doesn’t sound like Natsume-chan.”

“Eh?”

“To forget something like that, usually you’re very on it,” Haru elaborated, it wasn’t like Natsume to let something like getting a phone and not telling anyone anything about.

“Is it a big deal, I don’t really use it much,” she waved the phone, the charm she had attached to it jingling as she did so. Really the only reason she had it was because of Longchamp and the bastard was happily sending her pictures of his good time at Disneyland.

“So whose house are we going too, mine or –“a chorus of ‘yours’ was Kyoko’s answer and the girl shook her head at her friends. “Natsume do you want to stop by your house to get anything?”

“Ahh, I’ll just call my _mama_ to bring me clothes,” Natsume responded, knowing that Hana lived two doors down from Kyoko and Haru already had her things. “I think she might actually like the excuse of getting out of the house.”

“Why the excuse, she can just leave no?” Haru asked, a little curious over what Natsume had said.

“My _papa_ ’s home,” Natsume answered, putting the phone back in her bag, while her other hand tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “It’s not a bad thing,” the fair haired brunette affirmed, seeing Haru’s expression become a touch bit sympathetic. “She’s happy he’s home, but….he can be a bit too much.”

A little white lie, to not explain the whole situation entirely and at her friends understanding nods, she felt a touch bad.

She’ll talk to Tsuna and see what he felt about letting them know about what was really happening. Though knowing the way her brother was going (not wanting her to be any more involved than she has to be) he’d be completely against letting Kyoko, Haru and Hana know the full truth.

/ | \

“So how do you think he’ll do?” Reborn asked Shamal once they had been escorted to the room they were to watch the Storm Battle in. Shamal breathed in deeply, before letting it all out in a deep sigh, shrugging as he did so.

“It really depends on him,” Shamal finally answered, knowing that the other kids were listening in on his and Reborn’s conversation.  “As long as he sees a chance and takes it, I think he’ll be fine.”

“Hayato isn’t one to hesitate…” Tsuna said his attention mostly on the screen that showed said silver haired teen walking up to his spot, a lit cigarette already between his lips.

“Tell me about it,” Shamal muttered, a hand coming up to rub the back of his neck, already knowing Hayato fairly well, though the doctor did notice that the teen was much more aggressive than before.  “We can only hope now that everything goes well.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“Thank God you have a doctor like me on your side then.”

/ | \

The others had fallen asleep and Natsume found it disturbingly easy to make her way out of Kyoko’s room. She made her way downstairs to the kitchen, sitting herself at the counter and opening up the box of the left over desserts they had.

It probably wasn’t a good idea to eat sweets so late at night, but if it were to happen, she’d put up with the nightmares that would come.

Her mother had stopped by earlier, a lot chipper than she had been all week, though it wasn’t hard to miss the stress her mother was under (nor the fact that her mother had brought over a few homemade sweets, so that showed that she was starting to channel her need for comfort food instead of being out in the yard most of the day or dealing with the children).

Had they made the right decision in telling her?

From what she remembered of that other story, that Nana worried and fretted just as much as her own, but she didn’t have an idea of what was exactly going on. Did hiding the truth make it much less devastating to know that her child was involved and slowly becoming conditioned to the idea that everything must be fought and blood must be paid to prove he was capable of a position he never wanted.

Did Tsunayoshi really want the position of Vongola Decimo, even now?

She hadn’t heard him complain anything against it recently, though he seemed much more for turning it around and making it something better rather than the bloody mess it currently was.

Which, wow Tsuna, could you have chosen something not as difficult to do?

Really sometimes it seemed like her brother lived to complicate things, not that she cared, it was why she didn’t mind being there for him or helping him out.

She bit into the macadamia nut cookie her mother had brought, savoring the taste of it while trying to ignore the way her hands shook, or how anxious she became the more seconds that went by. The fair haired brunette heaved a sigh, her left elbow resting on the counter as her hand held up her chin.

Her gaze drifted to the stove, the bright green numbers getting her attention as they stood out in the darkness, “Twelve o-six,” she murmured, popping the rest of the cookie in her mouth. _I wonder how Hayato’s doing._

/ | \

Hayato grit his teeth as the wires on the blades cut into his shirt and dug into his skin, the bastard blond before him laughed, and Hayato was of the mind to react to just shut the fucker up, but he knew better.

( _Snake like vines wrapped around him, Natsume standing before him and giving him a cocky smirk as they tightened and kept him from moving away._

_“What will you do now Hayato, your hands are tied and your fire out.”_

_She always liked to fight like this, to separate either him or Takeshi and pick on whoever she felt like messing with that day and if it just so happened to keep her out of Reborn’s eye, while the small hitman focused more on Tsuna’s fighting and leadership capability, then that was just a bonus….even if the small babe did have a clue of what was going on._

_The hissing drew his attention, tiny tongues flicking against his cheek, and he noted how Natsume’s fist clenched tighter in tandem with the vines._

_‘your inner fire is the best weapon you have’_   _Hayato remembered Reborn commenting towards Tsuna when the boy was drawing out his flames and Hayato wondered if that could be applied to him._

_Hell the baseball freak had managed it, so why not him?_ )

Hayato waited for the blond to creep closer, slightly wary of the other blades the so called Prince flipped between his fingers. Belphegor stepped closer, enjoying the defiant look in his prey’s eyes even if they had been caught; his ears caught the whirring sound of the turbulent that had been installed and they had about a minute before the one beside them went off.

The silver haired teen swallowed as he began to focus on pushing everything he knew he was worth out, the grating laughter of the Prince adding fuel to the fire that he remembered once.

“Shishi~ Don’t close your eyes, I want to see your pain in them!”

( _“Oh shit,” he remembered her uttering, stepping back from him even though she had been moving closer to knock him out. “Focus, Hayato,” she called to him, and for a second he opened his eyes and glared at her, completely ignoring the crooked smile she was giving him. “What gives you strength?” she asked, keeping her distance now, her hand held out as that bluish purple fire in her palm expanded, forming a long pole with a short bladed tip that she used to tip his head up. She raised a brow, head tilting, eyes more a darkened golden hazel. He went rigid, breath catching, his mind going hazy, “How far will you go to show me what you got, to show Tsuna that you’re worth it?”_

_There was a need to prove himself and he felt himself grow warm, everything a blazing red, before he flung a few the dynamites that had been up his sleeve at the girl._ )

And it was odd as that memory played; it felt forgotten but as it resurfaced Hayato knew what had ended up bringing out the brilliant red flames.

Belphegor was barely caught in the blaze that sprung forth, having to dodge to the side as the silver haired teen moved forward after him, the red licks fading away having already done their damage. Sticks of dynamite were between Hayato’s fingers and he was throwing them, keeping Belphegor backpedaling as he threw himself full out against him.

His dynamite trick went off without a hitch, one following the other and pushing the one before it forward, the smoke that came from the explosions provided sufficient cover and Hayato moved where Belphegor had been, a cry of pain (or something that he couldn’t quite place, but gave him the absolute chills).

He took down the Prince, ignoring the pricks as the Varia member moved fast to try to skewer him with the knives he kept hidden upon his person. Hayato didn’t notice the ring that his friends had given him was shining with his emotion and as he grabbed at one of Belphegor’s flailing arms the Varia member felt as if his skin was burning when the metal band of the ring pressed against him.

Hayato felt something cut at his face and he barely managed to avoid the wild swing that Belphegor made with his left arm. Without much thought Hayato moved, grasping at the chain and ring around the Varia member’s neck and pulling at it hard enough that it broke off making him fall back.

There was an eerie silence that followed as Belphegor processed what had just happened and Hayato slowly moved back in case the blond decided to continue on fighting.

“ ** _Match over, winner is Gokudera Hayato._** ”

/ | \

“What is going on here?”

Tsuna felt chills go up his spine, already knowing that prefect would not be at all happy to know what his school was being used for and how it was being treated exactly.

“Hibari, wait –“

The prefect was moving, completely ignoring Dino and heading towards the hallway that Hayato and Belphegor were currently in. The screens displayed that even though the match had already been called, the blond Varia member was more than willing to continue the fight outside of it.

Shamal was gone, having left right behind Hibari and only Reborn remained as one of the supervisor’s, curiously staring at Tsuna’s reaction, while also trying to process what he had just seen.

Takeshi had been the other one apart from the twins he had helped draw flames out, but Hayato (who had already been fighting and understood their lifestyle much better than the other three) hadn’t been, so to see the teen draw out his flames, if only for a split second and continue on was a bit surprising.

It was something to consider for later, after this whole mess had been sorted through (if everyone made it out alive and in one piece), for now Reborn had to move quickly, before Hibari decided it upon himself to take down the Varia on his own.

Which knowing the Prefect and his almost disturbing need for a good fight, _would_ happen.

_Part 35: There Are No Distractions_

“Aren’t you up a little late, hey?”

Natsume blinked, turning around to look down at the small blond and covering her mouth as she chewed on her food as if to hide the fact that she was snacking so late at night. “Uh…aren’t you?”

Colonello shook his head, making his way up onto the other stool, pulling on the corner of the box and getting one of the cookies that her mother had baked, “Time doesn’t affect me.”

“That sounds cryptic,” Natsume spoke out slowly, trying to make sense of that phrase. She had a feeling that he and Reborn where of the same, seeing as Reborn had been with them for a year and he hadn’t grown or shown much physical change. She had met Colonello a few months ago on the cruise to Mafia Land and if she remembered right, she would also say that he hadn’t changed much at all either.

Colonello could see the girl thinking and he chuckled, “Don’t think about it too much, hey,” many have done so, to figure out what made the arcobaleno _the arcobaleno_ and it was safe to say that no one ( _not even the famed second coming of Da Vinci could do so._ ) “You’ll stunt your growth if you pull nights like this.”

The girl seemed to think over his words and shrugged instead of saying anything. She reached into the box, getting another cookie, even though she wanted the chocolate filled croissant, but she would have to heat that up and currently the microwave was too far to do that.

“I’m five something.”

“You’ll stay that way if you don’t rest.”

She stuck out her bottom lip, having a feeling that he was going to stay on her case if she stayed up any later, “Then please tell me, _oh wise baby,_ how I can go to sleep?”

“A warm glass of milk always helps, hey!”

Her response was to make a face, tongue sticking out and acting as if he had suggested eating something gross, “Milk tastes and smells weird.”

“Milk is good for you.”

Natsume gave the small blond her full attention, shaking her head slowly as she bit into her cookie, “If my _mama_ has no chance of making me drink milk, your shot is dead,” she took another bite, “ _So dead,_ like no hope whatsoever.”

Colonello only rolled his eyes, letting the issue slide as the girl finished off her cookie. She offered the treats to him and he kindly said no, so she closed the box and put it back where it had been before getting off the stool.

“I’ll go to sleep now, since I don’t want to get nagged by a baby.”

She went out of the kitchen, heading back upstairs, Colonello staying in the stool as he took in his surroundings. If anyone were to listen closely to the small toddler, they would hear him muttering that he wasn’t a nagger; he was just making a helpful suggestion to the kid ( _one that any adult would give to someone younger than them.)_

/ | \

“My eyes look amazing,” Natsume said, squinting her eyes before widening them, bringing the mirror in her hand closer to see the colors that Haru had put on her lid better. Between the four of them, Haru was the best at makeup and putting together an outfit (either at the store or actually making it herself).

The girl had brought most of her makeup tools with her and Natsume wondered just how much money Haru had put into her makeup collection because she had a lot.

“Close your eyes, I’m going to line them,” the girl instructed, her hand resting lightly against Natsume’s cheek and began to lightly dragged the brush as closely as she could get to the waterline, before going over it to make the line thicker and dragging it out into a small tail.

She did the same with the other one and once that was done she stepped back, Natsume opened her eyes, staring back at Haru, puffing up her cheeks to make a face at the girl. “You’re done~”

“Wow,” Natsume uttered, bringing up the mirror again and looking at herself. “I’m almost a completely different person.”

The girl giggled, hands lacing behind her back as she fidgeted, not as nervous as she thought she was going to be. She had blended the purple and black shadows on the outer corner of Natsume’s eye, the bright glittery gold that had also been chosen having been put over the main part of the lid.  

“Haru’s turn!” Kyoko cried out, her own makeup much more subdued than Natsume’s, though it still made her eyes pop. Natsume stood up, gesturing for Haru to take a seat.

“You’re going to coach us through this,” Hana said, pushing herself off of Kyoko’s bed and making her way over to everything that had been laid out on Kyoko’s small dresser. The dark haired girl poked through some of the brushes, “Because we have no idea.”

“Kyoko has an idea and Hana at least you know how to line your eyes,” the fair haired brunette brought up, lightly resting her arms against the back of Haru’s chair. She tugged the band that held the girl’s hair up off, the wavy brown curls settling just a bit past her shoulders. “I can probably do some braids, but that’s about it.”

“I learned through just playing around with it,” Haru admitted, lifting her head up a little as Kyoko began to dab some foundation around her face.

“So what colors do you want?” Hana asked and got a soft hum in response.

“Surprise me.”

Natsume and Hana made eye contact, the dark haired girl shrugged and just picking one of the small collections of eyeshadows, “Alright.”

They got to it, letting Haru guide them when they asked to, but most of it was left up to them. When they finished, the Hana and Kyoko glanced over their work, going in and trying to fix it up a bit more. Haru’s eyes seemed brighter, the pink and light purples hues that Hana had used showing nicely, and unlike the cat eye Haru had done on Natsume, the thin line that Hana had done made her eyes appear more rounded and gave an innocent-like vibe.

“Hahi! So cute,” Haru commented, picking up the mirror that Natsume had left on the dresser and looking herself over. “I really like the braids too.”

Natsume gave thumbs up, “The pain I put my fingers through in learning was worth it then.”

The dithered about for a couple more minutes, deciding if they should wipe the makeup off or just keep it on and head downstairs for a snack. They ended up doing the latter and it was a nice, peaceful afternoon that passed, one that was greatly appreciated by Natsume (even though she really wasn’t aware of it, she was a lot happier than she had been feeling lately)

/ | \

“You shouldn’t be moving around so much,” Tsuna said to Hayato, who stilled at being caught moving around and just slowly lowered himself back onto the bed. The brunet shook his head, moving forward into the hospital room and taking a seat in the chair that had been set up by Hayato’s bed. “How are you feeling?”

Hayato rolled his neck, enjoying the cracks that accompanied the movement, “A lot better.” After he had gotten the Storm half of the ring from Belphegor the Varia member had done as Hayato assumed and gone in to attack him.

The blond had gotten in a couple good hits before Hibari of all people came down on him, Shamal right behind him tugging him back and getting him out of the way. Hayato leaned back against the pillows that had propped up, “How’s the baseball idiot doing?”

“He was going through the stances of the fighting style his dad taught him slowly, said something about finding his Zen that way.”

“…huh, well then…”

“Oi, Gokudera, you’re looking fresh!”

He was covered in bandages, was Ryohei being sarcastic or honest. Going by the boxer’s characteristic ‘shining’ smile, he was being sincere.

As always.

“I feel like death.”

Tsuna resisted the urge to palm his face, because Hayato would. Before Ryohei could get an explanation out of the silver haired teen, Tsuna turned to look up at the boxer, “Hey senpai, did you already stop by your house?”

The teen nodded, sliding the small bag he had at his back off and pulling it open. He handed a small plastic bag filled with cookies to Tsuna, “Cookies from Sawada-san.”

“My mom?”

Ryohei nodded, adjusting the bag back over his shoulders, “Apparently the girls had a sleepover and your sister called your mom to bring her some of her things.” Here Ryohei pulled his phone out of his pocket, flipping it open and pulling up a picture that he had taken, “I also managed to take this!”

It was a little blurry, but it caught the four girls that were sitting around the counter well enough to note how each of them looked, Tsuna blinked, not at all expecting his sister to be wearing make up at all, “You don’t see that every day.”

“How did you not know that they were doing that?”

“I didn’t see them after school,” there was a hint of a ‘duh, you idiot’ in Ryohei’s tone, but it was probably Hayato making it up. “I just went over Takeshi’s and knocked out in his room.”

“….that’s like a thing now isn’t it,” Tsuna said all of a sudden, going completely off topic. “We just end up at someone’s place and knock out.”

“Just your place and Takeshi’s,” Ryohei answered instead of Hayato, “My parents will extremely not like the idea of three other boys in the house while Kyoko is there.”

“What, why?”

Ryohei shrugged, “I seriously don’t get it either.” His parents had mentioned once that boys his age were only interested in one thing and that it would just be better if people didn’t stay over the house. Which brought to question why they let the girl’s stay over…..was it because he hadn’t been home or because his parents had left later on in the afternoon yesterday to visit family in Osaka?

One or the other, but he wasn’t going to question, not if it could get Kyoko in trouble.

“Anyways,” Hayato said, to split from that topic. “We’re in the lead, if Takeshi wins tonight and for sure Hibari will, we’re pretty much guaranteed the winners.”

“Should be, it’d be four to three.”

“That’s if they decide to play fair, which I’m very sure they have not been,” Tsuna sighed, a hand coming up to rub at his temple. “Everything so far has been played to their strengths –“

“You think so?”

“Reborn’s been making me analyze the fights before we begin training,” Tsuna answered, looking at Hayato. “It’s not that I’m finding all of this, it’s just….a gut feeling, _y’know._ ”

“A man’s instinct is the best he has,” Ryohei commented sagely, arms crossed against his chest as he nodded along with what he said. “Trust your gut Tsuna, it won’t lead you wrong.”

Hayato grumbled, “Coming from the guy who punches bags for fun,” the silver haired teen coughed into his hand when the two looked over at him. “It’s smart what they’re doing; they are the ones who brought the Cervello, who’s to say they aren’t just helping them against us?”

“Impossible,” a voice chimed in, Hayato only frowned at Shamal, who moved past the other two and towards the clipboard that hung off the edge of the bed. “The Cervello are rarely seen, but when they judge and overseer they are unbiased, they only serve those in a higher position and that just so happens to be Nono.”

“….So Nono is against us?” Tsuna asked, watching Shamal go over the notes that had been written in by one of the nurses.

“Who knows.”

“You seem –“

“I am deducing and know just as much, if not less than you lot,” Shamal cut off Hayato, setting the clipboard down.  “I am only here to make sure those bullets Reborn is so fond off don’t bugger off your dear Tsunayoshi.”

…so that explains why he was really here.

“Hayato, you’ll be discharged within the hour,” Shamal said, going on as if he hadn’t just said what he had. “Your paper work is being processed and I encourage you to _not_ have to need my care again.”

With that said the doctor turned around and left the room, his footsteps echoing down the hallway, leaving the trio to themselves once more.

“Meet up at Takeshi’s place,” Tsuna finally said, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands. “I still have a couple more things to do with Reborn.”

“Are you leaving me with –“

“Hey that’s a great idea!” Ryohei cut off Hayato, but getting the idea that the boy was about to express “We’re safer together aren’t we?”

Tsuna pulled his hands away from his face for a second, looking between Ryohei and Hayato, before letting his face fall into his hands. “Can you please? It’ll make me feel better.”

Hayato exhaled, his fingers tapping against his thighs as he thought over what being with Ryohei for the next couple hours. The guy was alright, a little loud and had a tendency to be a bit more heavy handed when messing around with them ( _like that mock punch he did at lunch once, which actually hurt and bruised like a bitch_.)

He really just wasn’t a fan of the teen’s energy.

There was a thing as too much.

And Ryohei was it.

“To ease the tenth’s thoughts….” And he knew that Tsuna knew he would give in, because Tsuna just like Natsume, didn’t ask for much.

“Awesome!!” cheered Ryohei, pumping both of his hands up.

Tsuna gave Hayato what he hoped was a smile that showed how thankful he was for this and though the silver haired teen did look grouchy (then again that was Hayato’s neutral setting) he did do that two fingered salute-peace sign thing that he did to show that everything was good.

_Great_ , Tsuna bid the two goodbye, already lamenting whatever Reborn had in store for him (and poor Basil) but he knew whatever it was, he would definitely get stronger from it.

/ | \

Takeshi sat in seiza the middle of the dojo, the shinai his father had gifted him laying before him. He knew the sun had set already and the time for his match was ticking closer, couldn’t help but just sit there and think over what Dino had told.

_‘Squalo’s a swordsman, Yamamoto. Whatever you’re thinking of doing, he probably already has an idea or knows it. Have a backup plan ready.’_

How had he reacted to that, he had just smiled and laughed, reciting the words his father had told him when he first introduced him to the Shigure Soen Ryu.

_‘It’s invincible, that’s what my old man says.’_

Dino had shook his head, ‘ _Nothing is truly invincible…but for tomorrow night let’s hope it is.’_

Takeshi liked Dino, but what the man had said and how he had said it irked the teen a little. The older blond had only said those words to him because he hadn’t wanted to hurt his feelings. The dark haired teen knew what it was like to be given false hope, understood the older man’s disbelief in his abilities ( _hadn’t that happened last year, after his first big game? The feelings of that time curled up, never having really gone away, he doubted it ever would, he had spent too much time in them, knew them to well and maybe sometimes he still –)_

“Takeshi?” his father’s voice brought him out of his thoughts and the teen lifted his head to stare at his father who stood near the doorway of the dojo.

“Dad….”

Tsuyoshi waited for his son to continue on, hands clasping behind his back, “Is…is the Shigure Soen Ryu….really invincible?” The man almost smiled at that, because hadn’t he asked that once upon a time?

“It is your want to learn,” Tsuyoshi said, moving towards where his son sat, sitting opposite him in seiza, the shinai between them. “Your ability to apply yourself and your own belief that lends to invincibility.”

“You must be sure of yourself Takeshi,” the man grasped the pommel of the shinai, holding it out in front of him, parallel to the ground. “Go in with pride of yourself and this style, if not, do not bother at all.”

Takeshi blinked, his father’s last words sounding harsh to his ears.

“I….”

“So how will you go?”

Takeshi’s jaw clenched, but Tsuyoshi could see the change in his son. Whatever thoughts had been plaguing Takeshi seemed to have been swept away at the challenging tone he had issued, his son’s eyes narrowed, brow furrowed and Tsuyoshi couldn’t help but offer his son a lazy smirk.

“You go with my blessing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: So apparently I didn't upload this chapter here and I realized it until now that I was checking over somethings. So here's the belated update~
> 
> Sorry about that.
> 
> Also there may be some differences with the one on ff.net and this one, seeing as I did the same changes, but I didn't save it on my worddocument. Then this thing wouldn't load so I was not about to go through fixing everything up because that took forever.
> 
> I'll get to it eventually though.
> 
> Til next time~


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or stuff.**

**Word Count:** 8395

* * *

_Part 36: It is Not Cliché, But When it Rains_

"Hey Hayato, hey Ryohei."

"Yo Natsume!"

The silver haired teen was startled, the sudden tensing making him feel the pain his body was in much more acutely. Jade eyes turned to give the fair haired brunette an unimpressed glare (he was pouting, he knew he was pouting, Natsume knew he was pouting, hell even the lawn head knew), "Natsume."

She gave him a half smile, leaning against the doorway of Takeshi's room. Her eyes took in his form, taking in the bandages and he way he gingerly pushed himself up into a sitting position, "Healing good?"

He nodded and was happy that she asked that instead of the 'how are you' 'how are you feeling'. Tsuna had asked him, had been the first one to do so, so Hayato hadn't judged him, it was Ryohei who had been constantly asking him that had made the simple phrases so irritating (he knew the boxer was just making sure he was fine, but still…)

"I should be good by the end of next week."

Natsume hummed walking into the room and taking a seat on the beanbag that was by the bed, which Ryohei could have been sitting on, but the boxer preferred to just lay on the floor, "Did you train today Ryohei?"

The teen shook his head, "Tomorrow I'll be able to start again." It was a lot sooner than he would have given himself, seeing as he had been pretty hurt; those nurses that Colonello had told him to visit at the hospital had been very helpful in furthering along his healing process.

He should probably ask about that when this was all over.

"Oh hey," it was Takeshi, who looked surprised to see her there. "I didn't know you were here."

"I just got here."

"Where's Tsuna?"

"Should be coming back with Reborn any minute now," Hayato answered, deciding to lay back down again.

"Say Natsume," the girl stilled in what she was about to do, looking up at Takeshi, who decided he wasn't going to sell her out to Ryohei. She gave him an inquiring look as she nudged Ryohei's side with her toes, earning her a curious glance from the boxer.

"Yes?" she had forgotten he wasn't ticklish like the others.

"Are you going tonight?"

"I thought there was no…" she trailed off at when the baseball player rose his brows at her, his face saying what he thought about that ( _really?_ ), as if she was really going to care what the rules said or not. "…should I go?"

Takeshi smiled; head tilting slightly as he decided how he should answer that, "It would be nice." Hayato scoffed at that, turning over onto his side carefully; the baseball player was just dragging the girl into unnecessary danger, which was why he had refrained from finding her yesterday and asking if she would come to his ( _then again…_.he fiddled with one of his rings….he still had questions to ask her so maybe she should go _.)_

It was enough that she had had to be there for Lambo, that she had to witness that brutality, so why was the baseball player being selfish? Then again with Natsume there, she had insured that Lambo was safe and had protected her brother when that Xanxus-asshole took a shot at them. He was also pretty sure she had done something to that one Cervello to get a reaction out of Xanxus.

"Ah, sure?"

Why not? It wasn't like she had anything else planned to do that night apart from sleep.

/ | \

"Something is very wrong, Boss," Oregano spoke quietly into the phone, Turmeric, along with one of the Mists they had snagged along with them was keeping watch as she looked through the many files they had come across. " _Nono,_ he's sent out all of his Guardians, along with the regular guard that keeps watch over him."

" _What?"_

"Boss, I would urge you to come back, something definitely isn't right and at the moment we don't have many of our own with us right now."

" _What has been happening to our subordinates Oregano and why are you informing me of this now?"_

The woman exhaled, "Lal Mirch said so," she answered the latter first. "I already said _Nono_ has been sending people out. Once his regular guard was out, he's started calling on ours and we haven't heard back from them."

" _Who is still there?"_

"Apart from me, it's Tumeric, Rosemary, Lal Mirch, and Anise."

CEDEF wasn't large like Vongola or even the Varia, they were much smaller, with at least four main subordinates that directed anything that Iemitsu handed over to them to their own people. More than anything they were the 'paper pushers' of the Vongola, keeping track of anything and everything that may or may not come their way.

This was why the front of being a business worked so well; there were some civilians that worked for them that did the basic work, though that was still heavily edited. The ones that knew what the business really was were the ones that 'checked in' with other famiglia's, or picked up on a scene that _Nono_ wanted them to check out.

" _What about Lavender and Cicely?_ "

"We can't reach them after they went off to wherever _Nono_ sent them."

Iemitsu cursed, Oregano could picture her boss running a hand over his face as he thought up on what to do. Right now the man was between staying and assuring his family was safe or fulfilling his duty as the head of CEDEF and investigating the matter of the famiglia.

Both important things that no one should have to choose between.

Oregano pitied the man, knowing what the man would decide to ensure that whatever was happening did not occur and hurt anymore people.

" _I will arrive as quickly as I can, in the meantime continue looking into whatever is happening."_

"Of course boss."

The line ended there and Oregano sighed, turning to Anise who was leaning beside the doorway, ensuring that no noise would escape the room they were currently in.

"So?"

"The boss should be here by tomorrow night at the latest," Oregano spoke, eyes going to Tumeric and giving the man a piercing look. "We'll carry on as we have until we get to the bottom of this."

"Is no one going to try to speak with _Nono_?" Anise asked, the curly haired woman flicking a piece of hair out of her eyesight.

"We allowed Lavender and Cicely to go and we haven't received word from them," Tumeric spoke up, voice low and a little slow, as if he was thinking over what he was saying. "I hate to sit on a situation like this, but it'd be best to wait for the boss who can actually get out of whatever _Nono_ has been doing."

Rosemary, a short haired red head man sighed heavily, "Perhaps a pair of us should investigate the Varia headquarters as well instead of just focusing here on the main house."

"Splitting up isn't a good idea," Oregano responded, crossing her arms against her chest, fingers tapping against the back of her arm as she did so. "You think you can solo it?"

Rosemary gave a sharp smile, "Awe, sending me off alone Oregano?"

The woman snorted, "We cannot allow to fall short two more people Rosemary."

The man raised one shoulder in a half shrug, "I'm capable, but the Varia are inherently nasty people."

"Hurry up and decide, someone's coming," Anise snapped.

"I'll go, I'll go, don't worry about me."

Whatever illusion Anise had cast up was dropped, the files that had been spread out gathered by Oregano as she shook her head at Rosemary's back. The blond woman just hoped something came up, because if these files were anything to go by, _Nono_ had either started losing touch with reality, or someone else was pulling the strings.

This _Mosca_ that was mentioned in one of the documents didn't sit well with her at all and if she couldn't get down to what it was, hopefully Rosemary was able too. If not they'd have to wait around on Iemitsu and she felt that by then it may be too late.

/ | \

Natsume went home after spending some time talking with the guys, making sure that the two who had already gone were at least okay (she would have waited for Tsuna to get home, but he was taking long and she really wanted to nap.) She didn't get why Hayato kept giving her suspicious glances, nor why it looked as if he was going to ask her something only to back down at the last second.

"I'm home!" she called as she entered her home, not bothering to take off her shoes.

She was greeted by the sight of her father shouldering a travel bag and tugging along a small suitcase. She blinked, not at all expecting him to leave just yet. Her brow wrinkled in confusion, mouth slightly opening, before closing, "….are you leaving?"

Iemitsu's face was odd, she had seen him be serious, but never had he looked so cold or angry, "Something came up that needs my attention."

Natsume licked her lips, eyes moving from her father's person, to her mother who had just come out of her room, arms crossed and mouth turned down into a frown.

Iemitsu walked up to his daughter, settling a hand on her head and ruffling her hair, before it settled on her shoulder, "Do you trust me Natsume?"

Her father's eyes had always been pretty, even now in this state that he was in. She didn't know exactly what he was looking for or why he was asking her that, hadn't she already said she did?

"….I do…"

He nodded, wrapping his arms around her after her quiet admission. He didn't want to promise anything to her yet; he didn't want to say that he would come back, that he would be okay.

"Watch out for them."

Iemitsu pulled away and gave a smile, the way his mouth twisted made it seem as if he had tried something bad, making Natsume huff a short laugh, "Family takes care of family," she poked his cheek and gave him a halfhearted smile. "Please take care _papa_."

The man nodded, giving her a final kiss on the cheek before he opened up the front door and left.

"Auntie," Lambo's voice piped up in the odd silence that followed the six year old tugging at Nana's pants. "Why are you crying?"

For a second Natsume felt old, flashbacks of a different woman crying over very different reasons, overlapping with the image of her mother, who was crying because now she knew what her husband got up too and the possible danger he was involved in. The teen felt frustrated, because once again in her life (or lives) she felt like she couldn't do much of anything to help her mother.

All she could really do was walk towards the woman and hug her, Lambo picking up on it and wrapping his arms around his auntie's thigh and leaning his head against her hip. Nana gave an odd, watery laugh, placing a hand on her daughter's back and one on top of Lambo's head.

"Oh you two," Nana sniffed, pulling away and using one of her hands to wipe at her face. "I really should be better about this…you all have so much more to worry about."

Lambo made a pitiful sound, "I worry about Auntie, Auntie shouldn't be crying!" He even stomped his foot to try to get his point across.

"Lambo why don't you call the other two and have a sleep over in _mama's_ room?" Natsume suggested, one arm still around her mother, though she didn't look at the woman as she cleared her face with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Good idea!" the brat of a child turned around, took in a deep breath and yelled, " _I-pin, Fuuta! Sleepover in Auntie's room!_ "

Natsume resisted the urge to face palm, though she couldn't help the corners of her mouth quirking up at Lambo's action, " _Hey,_ if you were gonna do that I would have just called them."

"You do it to Tsuna-nii all the time _ane!_ "

"Shhhh."

Nana couldn't help but giggle and feel a little bit better, that even after her husband left she still had more than enough people to fill in the spaces he left behind. (That and the soothing warmth that filled her was so calming.)

_Part 37: It Pours_

"Where is Iemitsu?" Reborn asked, the question getting Tsuna's attention and having the brunet give a quick glance around to see if his father was anywhere around. Even when Iemitsu didn't show himself, there was a presence, but right now it wasn't there.

"He left," came Natsume's voice as she pretty much appeared out of there, making Tsuna jump at the suddenness of her appearance.

"Did he say why?"

"All he asked was if I trusted him and he left."

Tsuna scoffed at that, earning a narrowed look from Natsume, "What Tsuna?"

"I don't know how you can stand him sometimes, I mean he's our dad and all, but, ugh," Tsuna trailed off, lips curling in distaste as his hand went through his hair, making the already fluffy mess even messier. "I just can't stand that he does things like this."

" _Papa_ always leaves and comes back."

"And he always hurts _mama_ and doesn't explain anything to us."

Natsume rolled her eyes, "He would explain everything to you if you just bothered talking to him." Seeing that Tsuna was about to rebuke that, Natsume held up her hand, looking actually upset with him for a split second. "No, I don't want to hear it, I get it your mad, he lied, he dragged us into this, but you being stubborn and a little shit about it isn't going to fix it."

"You make it seem as if I'm wrong for feeling like I do."

Natsume spared a glance to Reborn, as if trying to have someone that felt that Tsuna was being a brat about it. She wasn't exactly good at reading the hitman yet, but going by the way his mouth was drawn she could assume he probably thought similarly.

Or he didn't care and was just annoyed by this.

"It's not wrong, go ahead, get lost in your feels," she tucked her hands into the pocket of her grey hoodie. "But you have to talk to him."

" _Why?"_

" _You just gotta._ "

"Your sister may have a point."

"See this is why I'm the elder sibling," she said prissily at him, sticking her nose up in the air.

"You're only older by like twenty minutes –"

"Thirty five minutes, young one."

"Hey guys!"

The scene Takeshi, Hayato and Ryohei came upon was one were Tsuna had his arms crossed against his chest, one hand held up covering his eyes and shaking his head, while Natsume looked a touch smug. Breathing in deeply, Tsuna pulled his hand away from his face, making a point to ignore Natsume while greeting his friends.

"Everything alright Tsuna?" Takeshi asked, thumping the shorter teen on the back. "You never showed up when you said you would."

"Oh," he had forgotten he would do that, too caught up in his training especially after Basil had given him one of those pills he had been using, _which wow,_ had been a rather thrilling experience and had made it a lot easier to slip into what Reborn had started calling Hyper Dying Will mode.

He had done it once with Mukuro when Reborn had shot that bullet at him and though he knew he could use the aide of the pills or Reborn's bullets, Tsuna wanted to be able to do it himself, without the help or 'cheats' that had been made.

Now that he had been able to experience a longer time in that mindset, he had actually been able to slip in and out for a few seconds on his own merit.

"I…got caught up in doing something."

Reborn refrained from rolling his eyes, what Tsuna had just admitted being an understatement. Basil had long since left and Tsuna ended up washing up in the nearby river they were training by because he had decided to meditate and maintain Hyper Dying Will mode on his own.

Which good for the teen, because he was succeeding, downside was he probably wouldn't be able to maintain it for long on his own.

"Are you ready Takeshi?" the brunet asked, moving on from his thoughts and focusing on his friend, who gave him his usual bright grin and a thumbs up. Hayato shook his head at the rather carefree way the baseball player responded, hands tucked into his pockets, while Ryohei seemed to approve.

Tsuna seemed in-between on how to feel on his friends response, so he just decided to nod slowly while giving the dark haired teen a considering look, "So Tsume," he turned his attention back to his sister, who he didn't feel as exasperated with as he had before. "Why are you here?"

Here Takeshi grinned, leaning over and putting an arm around Natsume's shoulders, "I asked her to come for moral support!"

Natsume clucked her tongue, seeming unimpressed with the taller teen's actions and elbowing him in the side to get him from leaning his weight on her. "He's not wrong, but if he insists on using me as an armrest, he's going to wish I was here for moral support."

Takeshi stopped putting his weight on her, but still kept his arm around her, earning a rather pointed look from Tsuna. The baseball player shrugged, but he did pull back his arm away from Natsume, the hand now resting on his hip as he stood to his full height.

"I'm ready for whatever comes."

"You better hope you are," that was Dino, the teen turning to look and giving the blond a bland look. "I trust that you are prepared Takeshi, but Squalo leaves no survivors."

Natsume was surprised at the almost frosty look that Takeshi gave Dino, having known that the two got along well. This was a new thing, something she had obviously missed and probably wouldn't be told about as it seemed to be just between the two.

"I'm sure Tsuyoshi-san made sure Takeshi had a chance of winning," Natsume said, not really liking the vibe that was being put out.

Dino cast her quick look, before shrugging his shoulders, "I _know_ Squalo," the blond sighed out, a hand coming up to run through his hair. "Just, be careful."

Takeshi nodded and began walking in, the others following behind him.

Only Natsume stayed behind, the others not noticing (though Reborn did, he didn't say anything). One of her hands coming out of her pocket to pull out a thin silver chain that she wore around her neck. The purplish pink crystal in her hand was warm, she grasped at the long piece (one of the first that Kawahira had given her) and offered up a small prayer, " _To they who listen, I ask to not let our rain yield beneath the shark that awaits him_."

"Interesting words Sawada," Natsume sniffed, eyes looking at an oddly smirking Hibari, who eyed the soft glow in her hands before looking back up at her, "I still have yet to see if the little kitten has some bite to her."

"Bite me, Hibari."

The teen's smirk looked wicked, "I want to see what you're capable of Sawada," he moved in closer, trying to intimidate the shorter girl with his height, though she remained unfazed. "We should fight."

"Why I haven't done anything wrong."

"I will find you soon," and he brushed past her, heading into his school to see what the big fuss of these fights were to be tearing apart his school.

" _What the absolute fuck?"_

_You know what,_ maybe she would fight him, just to punch his smug ass face in.

/ | \

Takeshi felt light as he was guided to where to go for his battle.

He didn't feel as nervous as he thought he would, not even once the battle started. Not even when Squalo was bearing down on him, or when the rain falling from above began to pour down on them, making everything blurry and heavy.

Squalo was a different level of beast that he had ever faced, the cut across his abdomen aching, along with the pain that flared every time he moved his left arm. He was knowledgeable, able to counter the few forms of the Shigure Soen that he had already used.

Takeshi felt as if he should be panicking, how he should have listened to Dino, how he should have had a backup to this in case this failed. He had been so sure and now it was being proven wrong to him.

_But,_ his grip tightened on the pommel of his sword, eyes narrowing as he took in Squalo's relaxed form. The man only raised a brow, sneering at him as if asking him what else he had.

"Is that all you got for me shit stain?" the man yelled at him, voice barely heard over the roar of rain above them and the blood pounding in Takeshi's ears.

_No._

His father said that it was all about his want, about what he was willing to give.

"Let me guess, Autumn Rain?" the man taunted, readying himself for whatever the brat threw at him. Takeshi had no clue what the man was talking about as he moved forward, watching as Squalo brought up his sword to pierce right through him, only for Takeshi to duck under the strike and slash up inside Squalo's guard.

" _Pouring Rain."_

The Varia Rain couldn't help but smile sharply through the pain, not at all caring about the way his body protested his moving, easily ignoring the feeling of blood dripping down his stomach (it was a shallow cut, but the intensity had been there, both by the way the brat before struck and how far it had thrown him back.)

"Well let's play for real now scum."

/ | \

Takeshi had managed another good hit with the form he had come up with on the fly, but it appeared that was the end of the baseball player's luck as he was forced down on one knee.

Tsuna couldn't do anything else but helplessly stare at the screen as he once again watched one of his friends backed into a corner, this time with no way to turn it around. Squalo rested the flat end of his sword on the baseball player's shoulder, showing that if he could he would take off his head right there.

They couldn't hear exactly what was being exchanged, but the rising water and the panicked looking Takeshi whose mouth curled in disgust (whether with himself or at the situation) had everyone on edge. Without much prodding, Squalo yanked the ring around Takeshi's neck, and with another move he grabbed the teen and tossed him away into the ground level that had filled up.

Dino cursed, already moving towards the doors, Tsuna right behind him not at all hearing the announcement of Squalo's victory.

"How the hell do we get inside of this?" Dino yelled as the main entrance had been blocked up to ensure that no water or anything would get out into the grounds. Tsuna tried racking his brain for another way to get into school building, but couldn't think of anything.

"I have an idea," Natsume murmured, staring straight ahead at the doors, the calmness in her voice catching everyone's attention.

"Natsume what –" but his words fell on deaf ears as his sister moved forward, hands resting against the side of the building, taking a deep breath before she phased through the _thick, solid, concrete_ wall.

"A Mist is capable of anything their mind decides they are able to do," Reborn spoke up in the silence that followed the supposedly impossible feat. "Gokudera, Tsuna, don't you remember Mukuro and what he was capable of?"

Tsuna frowned, while Hayato scowled.

Of course they had an idea of what people like Natsume and Mukuro could do, but there had to be a limit. Conjuring fire wasn't odd, Tsuna did it all the time, it was when reality was twisted in ways it should never be, that shouldn't be possible that made it hard to believe that there were people who could do it and use it so casually.

It wasn't hard finding Takeshi after she let her flames search and have them lead her to him. There was only the presence of a dangerous animal that she was sure had been released already and was only taking its time to hunt down its prey.

She found Takeshi trying to keep himself float, the shock of having been thrown aside like that not settling as he was more focused on living.

"Natsume?" the teen gasped as the girl swam over to him. She didn't say anything, merely placing her hand over his mouth and nose, a purplish blue fire drifting over his skin and forming a breathing mask of sorts.

"We have to go now, before that thing finds us," she said as she did the same for herself, knowing that it would take longer to swim through now that she had the injured person she was looking for.

He nodded and followed her, though found it hard to move, his body beginning to protest as the adrenaline wore off. She looked at him, hair floating around her, eyes seeming to glow as they narrowed at him before she grabbed him, holding him close to her as she began to swim back the way she had come.

It was a lot slower the way back and Takeshi was already heavy under normal circumstances, right now he was pretty much dead weight. Keeping an eye out for the animal that she knew was looking for them was also another thing, seeing as Takeshi had already fallen on unconscious.

She felt the currents shift and she stopped, turning her head around to see where it would probably come from. The shark (a _fucking shark, why….why did these people have to go to such extremes? Wasn't potentially drowning already a for sure way to send someone off to die)_ circled about them, looming closer every time.

"Ugh," her eyes brightened, a flame forming on her forehead as she held her left palm out as the shark decided to finally head straight at them. " _Go away,"_ she hissed, pulsating her flames outwards to push the shark back. With a snap of her fingers, another shark appeared this one in hues of purple and gold which attacked the other, the distraction was enough for Natsume to continue on, pushing on as best as she could until she finally got to the place she had come through.

She breathed deeply, letting her mist cover Takeshi and herself, believing that they would walk through the wall as if nothing. She righted Takeshi, so that his arm was around her shoulders, hers were around his waist to support him and nearly crumpled underneath his weight once her feet touched solid ground.

Dino caught Takeshi before he could fall on to the girl, Ryohei moving in to help, Hayato and Tsuna crowding around to get a better look at the baseball player. Natsume stepped back, leaning against the wall breathing deeply and shivering as the night air hit her.

That was tiring.

Then again swimming while pretty much dragging along Takeshi wasn't an easy feat, apart from being tall, the teen weighed more than her. Being in water hadn't helped at all, but it was nice to know that instead of feeling that 'flame exhaustion' as she had dubbed it earlier in the week, she was just feeling physically tired.

It probably meant she should be doing more than just volleyball, which she would probably get back to doing after the season ended. She was only fifteen; she could only do and focus on so much, before she felt as if she didn't have time to herself.

(She needed her 'me' time, even if it was spent just locked up in her room going through YouTube and listening to whatever popular music came on, or reading the fantasy books she enjoyed so much.)

"Doing okay Natsume?" Hayato asked once he made sure the baseball idiot was going to be fine. The girl blinked slowly at him, looking down at her clothes and back up at him and shrugging.

"I'm cold," she wrapped her arms around herself, her trembling getting worse. Her gaze drifted over to Takeshi who was getting checked over by Basil and Romario (when the hell did he show up?). "I'm letting him know that he needs to lay off the junk food."

Hayato coughed, hiding a snicker, because now was not the time to laugh, "I thought you could handle anything."

She squinted up at him, before shrugging, "I can handle you."

Hayato stopped his laughing, outright glaring at her ( _what was she trying to say by that?_ ), "What's that supposed to mean?" She shrugged once again, raising her arms and looking at him expectantly.

"I'm cold," she said again, eyes flicking over to the group where Tsuna was being assured that Takeshi would be fine.

"And?"

"You are a terrible friend," she huffed, feeling her teeth clatter. "How is he anyway, he'll be fine right?"

"Yeah, he's just in bad shape," Hayato answered, glancing off to the side where the others had gathered around the baseball player. "They're planning on keeping it quiet so they don't come back and try to finish the job."

Natsume wrinkled her nose, moving closer to Hayato to at least steal whatever warmth radiated off of him, "That's so fucked up."

The silver haired teen let her get close, deciding that maybe she needed his sweater more than he did, zipped it off and draped it over her. He saw her eyes zero in on the bandages around his arms, her right hand reaching out for his left and grasping it. Her thumb brushed over the red stone he wore on his middle finger and he thought she was going to let go, but didn't, just kept holding his hand.

"Your hand is cold as hell."

Natsume looked rather offended at him stating the obvious and pinched the fat part of his middle finger, "Stating the obvious genius boy."

"I have a question….."

"Don't we all?"

"I'm being serious."

"Is now really the time to ask?"

"I used those flames; they were red, not like Tenth's gold or baseball idiots blue."

Her expression didn't change, just her brow raising higher as if saying to get on with it, "I've done that before, but I didn't remember until last night, I used it on you once."

"Flames are an odd concept," she said after a few seconds pause. "They don't manifest often, but when they do it's because that person defied something or they were experiencing a strong enough emotion to call them out."

"You probably forgot the first time because your mind wasn't able to process what was happening, it's an exhausting thing to do _y'know_ , maybe something just clicked in your head and everything made sense?"

"Or are you trying to say I did something to you?"

The hairs on his arm raised to the chills that he felt in that moment and he would decide to blame it on the cold breeze that was beginning. When Natsume finally turned to look at him, it was to see her eyes lit up with a purplish blue color, speckled with bits of gold, "Well?"

This was the girl who was able to stay back and watch them fight amongst themselves, who liked to separate them and twist things around with a flick of her wrist. She was also the sister to his best friend, who had been stubborn and protective of her brother, who had judged them long before accepting them.

She had said once if she hadn't liked them, they wouldn't have gotten to the point of meeting her mother ( _so it wasn't only her brother she was protective of, but her mother as well and he wouldn't put it past the girl to fight tooth and nail for her family._ )

Hayato had a feeling she would have done something to ensure they wouldn't be able to be friends with Tsuna.

"I was going to ask you how I can get better with them," these flames seemed useful and he wondered what more they could do apart from burning others.

Her thumb tapped against the band of his ring, " _Y'know_ I didn't choose that just because I thought you would like it."

"Show me."

The lights from her eyes flickered away, hazel hues back and glinting with mischief, "Gotta get through all this first though, then _maybe~_ "

_Part 38: An Excuse to Fight_

She regretted mentioning to Kawahira about last night as she was sent across the room with what her teacher liked to call a 'love tap.' She switched with one of her clones before she hit the wall of the ring that had been set up, knowing that if she touched it being kicked around would be the least of her worries.

The clone dispelled as she took its place a few paces away from where Kawahira was, twirling a long pole into existence as Kawahira bore down on her.

"You've been neglecting your skills," he commented as she staggered back, wincing at the pain that travelled up her arms and made her hands shake, dropping the illusion of her weapon. "I give you a chance to move onto another choice of study and you neglect this?"

And he had been allowing her that, instead just testing the strength of her flames and illusions, letting her bring her own creativity, prodding that until it was more than what mere books and games could give her.

She was finding a nice little niche for herself and perhaps she was getting too comfortable.

He moved, satisfied to see that she was quick to put up a guard against him, though she barely managed to push him back.

"You are distracted," he said as he sidestepped out of her reach, swatting her hands with his fan. "Focus."

" _I am sick,"_ she hissed back at him, voice raspy due to her sore throat.

"Only a fool would go swimming so late at night in October," he appeared behind her, having had enough of the fumbling she was resorting too, tapping her shoulder with his fan, "Enough then." Perhaps he may have put too much into that last 'tap' seeing as she just crumpled down, a groan escaping her as she laid out on the floor, body perhaps happy at not having to deal with holding itself up.

"Cool down stretches, don't just lay out on the floor, hasn't your coach told you this."

His response was a groan as the girl rolled onto her back, lifting both of her legs up and holding them as straight as she could. He had no clue what she was doing, so he just turned his back on her, snapping his fingers so his living room could go back to how it had been before.

"Since you are sick, you won't be having tea today."

"I am _so_ sad to hear that," he heard her mutter and he refrained from rolling his eyes. When was the last time he had to deal with a brat like this? Wonomichi had never been like this, then again, Wonomichi was more than a bit addled.

Really, why was he in this situation again?

Ah yes…..curiosity.

Damned curiosity.

"What have we learned?"

"Don't let old men beat you."

Kawahira closed his eyes, his thumb and pointer finer pinching the bridge of his nose, a physical sign of his annoyance. There was a shift in the girl, one that was more apologetic rather than the sarcastic and bitchy air she had about her.

"I need to manage myself better."

"Yes," he said a bit tersely, opening his eyes and giving her a dark look as she settled on the recliner, where she pulled out the lower half so her legs could rest up. She leaned back into the seat, letting her lay back, though the way her chin was nearly resting on her chest and the frustrated (and very tired) look made for a picture.

And she said she didn't pout, yet here was the perfect example of her doing so.

She was only fifteen to his…..well, she wasn't wrong about him being old.

"I understand that you want to have your fun and by all means go for it, explore, do what pleases you," he had his chance in his youth to do so, he knew what it was like to be hotheaded, to be intrigued by different things and to be overwhelmed by them.

He at least was lucky to be able to deal with them as he wished, he had time, and he had the peace to do so. Sadly Natsume didn't have the same luxury. It wasn't exactly moments like these that made him question what exactly the elders were thinking in splitting the stones, the last remaining relics of his people, nor would he ever understand why Sepira had decided to divide them further and hand them over to the humans.

This whole mess could have been avoided if that hadn't been done.

Then again the world would probably be a very different place.

He rested his elbow against the arm rest of the couch, letting his chin rest in the palm of his hand, his fingers curling against his cheek as he did so, "Natsume, tell me what is it that you wish to gain from this?" A part from a few lessons that she still needed to go through, which was more of the old practice of flame users than actual techniques and advice; she was set to go off on her own.

The girl blinked slowly at him, raising her head at him, before she let it rest back against the head of the seat, where she was looking more at the ceiling than him.

"Peace….I want to protect my family and myself and give them the chance of peace," she answered slowly, brow furrowed as she mulled over her words. "I want to be one less worry for my brother and I also want to help him, even if he seems like he doesn't want it."

"I want to actually grow up and see the world," she muttered quietly, not as quiet as she thought it might have been, but he didn't comment on it.

As far as answers went, it wasn't a bad one, still thinking of her family instead of what learning and working with him could gain her.

What a sweet child.

/ | \

Natsume was almost home when she noticed a blurry looking figure leaning beside the entrance of the front gate. Getting closer revealed that the figure was Hibari and she wondered what exactly he was doing there. She stopped, knowing that the older teen had seen her, trying to think on _why_ said teen would be outside of her house –

Who was now moving towards her, his weapons out and _oh shit he had said he wanted to fight her hadn't he?_

She honestly would have loved to do so, just to see where she stood with the Prefect (who was a terror and a half, managing not only a middle school, but also a small town), but she was exhausted, had already had her ass handed to her and did not need that to be done again so soon.

She barely had time to think about creating the short staff she had preferred using, tossing her bags aside and holding up the conjured weapon and blocking Hibari's swipe against her abdomen. She grit her teeth as she took a step back to take in Hibari's force, already knowing her arms were going to ache tomorrow.

A better decision for next time would be to avoid actually blocking the third year (or had he graduated already? She didn't really know…he was just always around.) She backpedaled, letting Hibari follow her, the prefect gearing up to take another swing at her, which she made it seem like she was going to block but instead she ducked, moving past him, the teen not noticing what was happening until his swing went right through her image.

She hit the back of his knees with her short staff, letting her flames go and actually materialize, where they pooled at her feet and easily made their way towards Hibari. Like she had done to Chikusa (and she was sure he was going to recall this) the licks of flame turned into tiny tendrils shaped like hands, a soft whisper of _'stay'_ accompanying them as they curled around Hibari.

The prefect did _not_ like this.

He tried to move, to struggle against whatever the hell she was doing – and unlike Mukuro, who he could break through easily he found that her power wasn't that easy to resist.

"Hibari-san, please," the prefect was still able to turn his head to look at her, his slate grey eyes narrowed and if Natsume noticed that there was a light film of purple over them, she easily ignored it. "Not now, its not a good time."

He rose a brow, the sneer on his mouth less harsh, though his lips were still twisted in distaste. She sighed, crouching down and tapping the end of her weapon against the floor, "This is not a good place, I –" the girl paused, not at all taking her eyes away from his, "Seriously, not a good place, I – I know another…."

"… _where I can go all out."_

And there was a promise there, the hands that he could feel actually digging into his clothes as they held him in place lightly twitched and the murmur of something more reverberated somewhere in his head. The prefect sniffed, finding it in him to break away from the hold over him, knowing that her power had lapsed.

Taking a closer look at the girl, he noticed that she was much more bruised up than she first appeared – her lower and upper lip were split, a cut at the corner of her brow, and a yellow, almost brownish bruise forming against her upper left cheek. She didn't get up from her crouched position, but her eyes did follow his movements.

"Don't make me wait too long, Sawada."

And he turned around with that, knowing that the blond fool (who wasn't a half bad fighter, but still annoyed him by trying to follow and _teach_ him of all things, to do) would be coming to look for him to try to convince him to join those others.

Natsume was left where she was, the girl using her conjured weapon to lean on so she wouldn't be resting all her weight on her feet (and thus she wouldn't fall onto her ass like she usually did when she was in this position). She let her cheek rest against the warm metal, watching Hibari until he rounded the other street corner.

A few seconds ticked by and the girl sighed, shaking her head.

With a quiet groan she got back up, disliking the way her legs ached and how her entire body just seemed to want to give out on her. She let her weapon disappear, stiffly walking over to her bags and picking them up and headed towards her house, passing by the gate and opening up the front door.

"I'm home!" she called out, her voice seeming a lot louder as it bounced off the walls.

When no response came, she figured that everyone was out (and giving a brief pulse to check, she was proven right.) She set her bags down beside the small table where her mother put her keys and purse, toeing off her shoes before making her way to the kitchen.

There was a familiar pounding in her head and the wave of nausea that was accompanying it, clued her in that she wasn't going to have a good night.

When all this was over, she was going to tell Takeshi off, it was because of him that she was like this ( _also…shouldn't have Takeshi won the Rain Battle? And Hayato, he, he should have lost, no it was more like he let the Varia member have his half of the ring_ _that one time…._ )

The cupboard she had opened closed with a rather loud click, the ache in her head much more noticeable and she was lucky she was near the sink, where she leaned over and promptly vomited. She shuddered, a chill going through her, could hear a familiar chuckle that made her clench her hands.

" _Kufufu~"_

She gagged, spitting into the sink as she turned the water on so it could wash down the mess she had made. She could feel her brow twitch in annoyance, a familiar, but not so familiar brush of a flame going over her.

" _So sad that you won't join us tonight, do rest well Princess."_

Natsume spat, gagging over the sink as her eyes began to water ( _she hated throwing up, it was the worst and so what if she cried? This shit was terrible)_ "Mukuro."

His presence wasn't here, she would have noticed, and then his laughter rang out again, " _We have a connection Princess, it took a while, but I figured out what you did….and my, my, who would have known –"_

"Shut up."

The running water helped to distract her from the noise and ache going on her head, her hands held the side of her head, fingers rubbing at her temples to help soothe the ache.

"… _it would be interesting for you to meet my Chrome one of these days."_

…What?

She of course didn't get the chance to ask what he was talking about, the front door opening up and the babble of children made her whimper. It was Bianchi who came upon the sight of her puking once more into the sink, the bottle of pills she had been going to take laying on the counter.

"Hey," Natsume managed weakly, at the taken back look on the magenta haired woman's face. "I feel like shit."

"You look like it too," the woman answered making her way over to Natsume's side. "Come on, lets get you upstairs, I'll help wash you up."

"A dark, quiet room would be nice."

"You'll have that too," the woman murmured, shutting off the water and putting a hand on Natsume's back. "Your mother stopped by Yoshiro-san's house to drop off some groceries; did you want to wait for her?"

The girl shook her head, pushing herself off of the edge the counter and breathing in deeply, "She'll just worry more," especially cause she was sure the illusion she had cast on herself to make her look as if she hadn't been roughed up had long since fallen.

Her mother was already worried about Tsuna and her father, no need to have her worry about her too.

"You should probably tell her I have a migraine though, she knows what to do when I get like this."

Cause if this headache was anything like before, she was going to be in for a long night.

_Intermission 15_

_It had gotten easy to ignore and push aside the niggling feeling of '_ this is just a story', _sure I still had the occasional moment where an image of Jasmine's past life would show itself, like the other night with my mom, but the story idea, that my life was fictional in another world, I had pushed that aside because that was something I didn't want to deal with._

_I had an idea of how this would end, didn't really want to know what the true ending was, but I know that Tsuna will win._

_And even if that story had been written to go Tsuna's way, the Tsuna I knew would have it go his way because his power, his will and what he believed in was purer than Xanxus'. Though Xanxus was powerful in his own right and had the flames to back it up, Tsuna's were something else and eventually whether he wanted it or not, Xanxus' would give into them._

_It was why a person's intent when using their flames was so important, if it wasn't strong enough it would eventually fall under another's. If the intent wasn't pure enough, if it was tainted with emotions that threatened to darken the aspect of 'light' that the flames where known for, they would fall._

_And Tsuna….._

_Oh my baby brother was so sweet._

_He was like me, though different.._

_(She was willing to fight and give her all to those she cared about, whether she realized it or not. Tsuna didn't like fighting, didn't like hurting others.)_

_Her brother was being pushed to do this, his family, his friends,_ his life _was being threatened._

_And she had already witnessed Tsuna jumping in and fighting on behalf of those he cared about. Tsuna didn't fight to prove a point, he fought to make sure everyone would make it through and the sheer amount of power her baby brother had, the amount of love that he had for his friends and family, would overcome the spitting rage that was Xanxus._

_Because a Sky was meant to harbor their elements, to give them a place to be, to offer them protection, a Sky was not someone who used his elements for his own gain._

_It honestly made Natsume wonder what had been done to Xanxus to make him this way and in her mind she knew what had been done and she could feel herself relate to the man, but she would rather not._

_It was because of him this whole thing had started._

_Hopefully it would end with him as well._


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or stuff.**

**Word Count:** 8064

* * *

_Part 39: Unstoppable force vs Mechanical Force_

The night was long, filled with tossing and turning and making good friends with the bucket by her bed. Her mother had told her to wake her up if things got any worse, but so far her migraine had stayed the same.

' _As long as she doesn't get a migraine while she's sleeping, she'll be fine. Ibuprofen and liquids should help in the meantime.'_

Currently she was leaning back against the side of her bed, holding the side of her face, and breathing in and out as evenly and deeply as possible. She closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to focus on the shadows in her room (where her mind would probably start thinking there were things and s _he did not need to bring that to life again, she had done that earlier and it had creeped her the fuck out to see one sided figures bending and twisting their way into reality.)_

There was a knock on her door and she thinks she made an audible noise of 'come in', though it honestly was more of a pained whine.

Reborn stepped in, he had been going to question the girl on why she hadn't shown up that night - it would have been good for her to witness a mist battle, especially one that was in a sort of semi-controlled environment and one that was against an _arcobaleno._ )

"You look like crap."

She huffed out a laugh, slightly regretting the slight strain because _hey_ her temple was aching, "You don't say," she murmured, cracking her eyes open to look at the hitman, who merely stared back. "Can I help you with anything Reborn?"

"No."

"Then why –"

The arcobaleno was in front of her, one of his fingers poking her forehead and she was about to say something rather rude, when there was a brief warmth and the pounding in her head (and the nausea, because that's the worst part of these damned things, at least she felt it was) faded away.

"Well aren't you a little angel, Reborn," she commented, her voice still a bit strained sounding, but it did have less of an edge.

"It's about time you've realized it."

"Your ego does you no good, though."

"My ego serves me well."

She refrained from rolling her eyes, just giving the small hitman a deadpanned stare, " _You are conceited."_

" _I have every right to be."_

She was taken back by that response and she gave him a questioning stare, "Since when did you learn Hawaiian?"

The hitman shrugged, merely stepping back, "I just know things." He was not going to say anything about the short lessons he had with Nana in the times he was absent from the teens presence. It had grown tiresome on his part for them to fall back on the one language he didn't know and probably talk about him, while he was in the room with them.

They hadn't done that in a long while though.

But if they ever started it up again, _he would know_ (they did it to their friends though, when they weren't satisfied by saying something in either Japanese or English.)

"So….."

"So."

She should probably get up from the floor now, but she really didn't want too. Oddly enough she was comfortable, "Reborn what are you doing here?"

"Curiosity."

No, not another one.

She did not need that.

Her teacher was enough.

"Seriously."

The arcobaleno shook his head, knowing that he wouldn't be able to mess with the girl – she was sleepy, had been dealing with her headache for who knows how long and though she seemed to be in a good mood, she would be getting irritable rather quickly.

An irritable Natsume was just a mouthy little snit he did not want to put up with at four in the morning, even if it was amusing to see others on the other end of her grouchiness.

"I assumed you would be going to see the Mist battle."

Here she narrowed her eyes at him, not at all irritable but on the verge of being pissed off, " _Oh yeah,_ did no one think to explain why _Mukuro_ would be one of my brother's supposed Guardians?" Whenever her dad came back Natsume was going to give him a piece of her mind, ( _that guy had wanted her brother, had hurt their friends, manipulated his own 'friends' if they could be called that and was just an atrocity and half)._

How did she know that?

"He's not, his Mist Guardian's name is Chrome."

" _Speaking of Mukuro,_ he talked to me," here she mouthed 'in my head' while tapping her finger against the side of her temple. "I…think it's because of him I got a migraine." That or he had made it worse; she wasn't used to communication within her mind, especially with flames she had not accepted.

Reborn blinked up at her, head tilting slightly, "How is that possible?"

"I think the few minutes we were fighting before any of you appeared in Kokuyo, Mukuro may have been able to form a small connection between us." She was lying, but there was truth to it, so hopefully she wouldn't get caught. A small connection had been formed, but she was the one to have done it to be able to 'convince' Mukuro to forget somethings they had done.

It's not like she had been doing a great job of keeping her abilities to herself, the others knew what she could get up too, but her brother and friends deserved to know what they had on hand in case they ever needed help from her ( _which they did not know how to ask for, at least Mukuro was capable of doing that. Ugh, did she just compliment that asshole?_ )

"You should beware of that, it does no good to be under the control of a Mist like Mukuro."

" _Yah,_ I know, I'll have to meditate on this," literally, but she wouldn't be able to do it here at home. The kids were a big distraction even if they were only downstairs and Fuuta had been asking about what exactly she does. "At least my heads calmed down."

"Hey Reborn," the pint sized hitman had been about to leave, only pausing and barely turning to glance at the girl. "Is Tsuna here?"

The hitman shook his head, "He's with Takeshi."

"…but Takeshi isn't home…"

"I didn't say they were at his house."

"Oh."

So the Rain was still at the hospital.

"Get some rest; you have school in a few hours."

The hitman left with that, leaving the girl to rest. Natsume picked herself up, moving onto her knees and resting her upper body on her mattress and gave Emi, who was sleeping on her side of the bed, a blank look. Poking the black cat and getting a slow blink and a rather judgmental look, she managed to get the cat to scoot over so she could lay down.

She could miss her first and second period class, her mother would let her, would probably even try to get her to stay, not that she would let herself do that. Only a couple more days until the big game against…was it Midori Middle ( _and oh, she should probably ask Haru about them)_ and if they won they would be able to go outside of their prefecture and play against the others schools in their league.

Something to look forward too, even with this chaos going on (not that it affected her directly, but she was worried and couldn't do anything if she wanted too to try to make thing easier for her brother and friends, so maybe volleyball was just being another way to channel her own restless energy.)

Eh.

The bell of her cats collar jingled, the feline coming up to cuddle against her chest, and Natsume decided to just stop thinking and go to sleep.

/ | \

It was her phone buzzing a couple hours later that woke her, flipping the phone open she stared blearily at the notifications, clicking on the 'ok' symbol and opening up the various photos and a long text that Longchamp had sent her (and why was he proclaiming who he was in the text? The pictures he had sent were enough, also why did he look like he had been beat, wait, stupid question, he had probably managed to upset Pantera again.)

He had been quiet the day before, so he was either probably making up for that or, oh, well, he had lost his phone on one of the rides apparently. She clicked through a couple numbers, typing up her message ' _Good job on losing your phone, next time keep it in a bag or something.'_

She hesitated on sending off another message, but she decided what did she have to lose; he'd probably just rub it in her face. _'Also totz wish we could trade places, I need a place of happiness right now.'_ She felt like complete crap and even though walking around a crowded amusement park wouldn't be what she would consider a fun time, it was _Disneyland_ and she had a huge soft spot for anything Disney.

That and it would definitely take her mind off of everything that was going on.

With a deep sigh, she closed her phone, feeling a little satisfied by the way it snapped shut, and got up, stretching as she made her way out of her room and towards the restroom.

It was nine in the morning, she had already missed her first class and would probably be missing her second and third, not that she really cared, she was keeping up with everything and actually doing very well in her classes (even if she had missed a few days and had been lectured by a few of the sensei's that missing too much would lower her grades).

She also had an incentive to do good if she wanted to actually participate in games and to keep Reborn out of her hair, knowing that the toddler was still trying to figure out who was teaching her, but couldn't exactly demand anything of her if she was doing well on her own.

She spat out the glob of toothpaste, cupping her hands beneath the faucet and swashing the water in her mouth before spitting it out. If she had time later on today or any time after this week, she would sound out the idea of Reborn meeting Kawahira to the man, if only to get the hitman off her case.

Kawahira would probably be against it, but she knew he would give in.

Eventually.

If he felt like it.

She stared at herself at the mirror, lips pursed as she eyed her hair and the best way to manage it for today, while also thinking that maybe Wonomichi would be able to help her to get Kawahira to agree. Opening the cupboards beneath the sink, she pulled out one bottle that she filled up with water and sprayed into her head and then pulled out another grey bottle, getting a generous amount of the cream and putting it through her hair.

With a sigh, she began brushing through the tangles and hoping to manage down the frizz she woke up with and when it wasn't showing to get better, she just gave up and braided her hair back. Not the best way of doing it, but one that worked for now.

/ | \

Basil stood a ways away from where Tsuna sat meditating, the brunet having managed to light his inner fire and maintain it for more than ten minutes now. If he could reach the fifteen minute mark, they would continue their sparring to see how long he could hold it while fighting.

" _What do you think of all this Basil?"_ the sudden voice of Reborn made the teen jump, the tutor having disappeared to who knows where the night before and turning up now.

The sandy haired teen contemplated his answer, wondering what 'all this' could mean, and decided to just answer what he thought the hitman was referring too. " _Unusual, we are being forced to move plans along quicker and are putting at stake lives that cannot be lost._ "

And that had some truth, the people Tsuna had surrounded himself with were the most compatible with him, were ones that had been accepted and found by the boy himself, instead of being thrust at him or being put up for selection like some Dons did.

Sure there were a couple (maybe one or two) that Tsuna probably wouldn't have chosen for himself, but that was mostly because one could not fit where they could not go ( _Hana was more Natsume's and Natsume herself could not hold the Mist position due to her other flames nature.)_

Reborn nodded, to show that that answer was good enough, now the hitman just watched his student, curious at how at ease the boy was today compared to the other mornings, where it took him awhile to settle.

It was nice to see that he had confidence in at least one of his Guardian's, though of course Reborn wouldn't call them exactly close and Hibari was more a terror to be feared and maybe someone he would prefer to throw willingly at the Varia.

(The beaten down bodies they had found after the Storm battle truly spoke of Hibari's power, the Prefect not at all flinching or caring of the twisted and groaning bodies he had left behind.)

And by what Dino had to say, in the spare moments he had managed to phone in, the Cloud Guardian was more than ready for his fight, the only thing was that he was inexperienced against fighting _real_ assassins, compared to the rule breakers and yakuza that he dealt with.

" _Reborn, if they all manage out of this, everything will calm down again right?"_

Ah, blessed innocence, to think that everything would be 'calm' after all this.

Was Reborn of the few that actually believed that his student and his friends _could_ make it out? Sure there were loses that they had taken, but so far they were doing well, everyone was alive so far.

" _Calm is the only thing we can hope to obtain, Basil."_

/ | \

Hibari had stayed at the school longer even after the clubs had let out and the staff had gone home. He stayed in the committee room, reclining the chair he was in back, not at all bothered by the chirps that came from the yellow bird every now then.

The blond had said he would be fighting tonight, but he wasn't interested in his opponent. He had watched it yesterday, had seen the hulking figure, eyed it carefully as it followed behind the group of assassins, exhaling loudly and obviously by the white clouds of smoke that escaped it.

A machine.

That's what his opponent was, a machine that would eventually fall apart in front of him. A small obstacle and perhaps not as difficult to get through as most people tended to be – as big as it was, in the end the machine was just that, a machine.

One that would bend easily at his hands, the machine being an example of his strength and so that group of assassins could get the hint that his school, that his _town_ was not to be messed with as it had been the last couple of days.

" _Hibari! Hibari!_ " Hibird flew through again, this time settling in his hair instead of just flying overhead. The little creature fluffed itself up, before settling down again, a knock came at the door a few minutes after Hibird had settled, the door opening without him even saying anything.

"I thought I would find you here," Dino said, not at all waiting for the teen to say anything and taking a seat on lone couch in the room. "How are you feeling about tonight?"

Hibari's eyes slid over to the man, taking in the Italian man before looking back out the window, "Unimpressed," he answered after a while longer, mouth pressing into a thin line as he thought over who supposed opponent. "Who is its leader?"

He had noticed the others, but they didn't scream leader to him, the closest one being the one that Yamamoto had fought, though even he seemed the type to let someone else take charge if they were capable of it.

"That would be Xanxus, I think he may be there tonight."

Hibari didn't nod in acknowledgment, merely moving in his seat; he lifted his arm up after resting his elbow on the arm rest, holding his finger out for Hibird to land on. If anyone could lead a group like those people, they deserved to answer for the problems that had been arising in the last week.

Dino got a bad feeling when he noticed Hibari's mouth quirk up into a smirk, eyes flashing in what most would hesitate to call glee as it just seemed so bloodthirsty, "That's my true opponent, after the machine."

"That's not how it works –"

"I don't care," Hibari uttered, once more looking at Dino, eyes narrowed. The glare the dark haired teen gave him didn't get bother him, it was the intentions and the thought of Hibari even going through with what he wanted to made Dino shake his head.

"That will cause more problems –"

"And?" the teen had the audacity to sniff at him. "Haven't they?"

He had a point.

"He is not your fight, Hibari."

Hibari leaned further back into his seat, wiggling his finger, getting Hibird to fly off, the bird circling around his head before flying out.

"We will see."

Dino sighed, why did he get the difficult one?

_Part 40: No Time is Wasted_

There was nothing like coffee mixed with red bull that kept a man like him up. Iemitsu had been feeling the jetlag, had tried to make up for it by taking a nap, though he knew he would barely be getting any sleep in the upcoming days.

It was the day of the Cloud match, he had already spent the last day he had been in Italy reading up and getting up to date information from what had been happening. Currently he was running on a mixture of caffeine and energy drinks, something that he would regret knowing the crash would be terrible, but at the end everything will be resolved.

He hoped.

"Boss?"

Right, right, focus Iemitsu, on the documents, on the descriptions of the Mosca. Why were these hidden and why were they sent to Varia's Mist user? Figure that out and then worry about the caffeine crash later.

"Where did you find these?" the blond asked Oregano again (starting to feel the crash he had just been thinking about) who sat beside him, sorting through one pile and organizing them so they were in an order that she could understand. The short hand and sloppy writing didn't help at all, so it made her job a little harder, but she would pull through.

Eventually.

"Lavender brought it in with him," he had already been at the Varia's place, had come in with the files, finding it odd that no one was raising the alarm over the documents and over how easy they were to come by.

Almost as if they were left out for them to find.

"Anise phone in Rosemary, _now_ ," Oregano snapped, spine straightening up, Iemitsu looking over at her and giving her an incredulous look. "This is all too convenient, Lavender brings in the files from the Varia, and suddenly he and Cicely are called out by Nono."

"It just goes through Oregano," Anise said, frowning as she dialed again, only for the same result. "Fuck, another one? Are they all even going to be alive after this or are they just taking them out?!"

"How _has_ Nono been acting?" Iemitsu questioned again, brow furrowing, not at all bothered by his subordinates outbursts, fingering one of the papers and looking carefully at the date and what was listed below on it.

The functions of the Mosca, how to use it to the best of its abilites, the inside of the mechanism. Strangely it was almost big enough to work as a body suit, instead of as an independent machine.

Iemitsu's intuition reared its head, screaming at him, Xanxus' words ringing loudly in his ear.

_I'm just helping you._

_Can't anyone appreciate the shit I do._

_You'll learn soon enough….like that old fool._

"Fucking shit," Iemitsu cursed, his eyes sharp and furious, his brow crinkled as he stood up. Oregano questioned him but he ignored it, picking through his bag and pulling out his headset. There was only one number that would go through on this headset and Nono's line rang, until it picked up.

" _Hello."_

"Nono," he greeted, his eyes squinting shut at the audacity of the other man on the end. "Tell me do you have any free time; I have some files I'd like for you to see."

" _Within the hour Iemitsu, I will see you then."_

The call ended and Iemitsu was treated to the sight of Oregano, whose mouth was pressed tightly into a thin line, "Sir are you sure?"

"Lal Mirch can tail me," his gaze flickered over to the arcobaleno who been snoozing away, finally able to relax enough to grab some shut eye. "If this adds up to what I think it may be, phone Reborn and halt the Cloud Match."

"That's in three hours' time boss."

"We better work quickly then."

_Intermission 16_

_It was nice outside and I got Fuuta to distract the kids so they wouldn't come running out. When I said it had to do with mystical things, the boy got bright eyed and asked if one day he could learn. I only ruffled his hair and said maybe, though judging by the look in his eye he would be asking again._

… _.I wonder if his ability…._

_No…later…that was a thought for later._

_I need to clear my mind, meditate and try to go through the memories of Jasmine._

_My breathing evened out and it felt as if I was sleeping, but wide awake, I was completely aware of my surroundings and myself and so I prepared to dig myself into Jasmine's memories._

_The most important ones or at least the strongest ones that were always very clear, were about Jasmine's family – her mother and father arguing, her mother crying, the angry younger brother getting in between the parents to defend her mother. It stung a little and the feelings that Jasmine tied to those memories resurfaced, filling me with anger and fear, making me feel helpless because I – no she – she couldn't do anything._

_I pushed past that, past the laughing friends, whose faces and names I couldn't recall, past the school lectures, and tried to delve into the story that was my life._

_Or wasn't really my life, but was kind of similar._

_That was harder and the only thing that came up for what I was hoping to get was that I should be wary of Varia's Cloud Guardian._

" _Natsume!"_

_I snapped back to reality, feeling dazed as I blinked slowly and realized that I was on my back, instead of sitting upright._

_I pushed myself up and looked over my shoulder, seeing my mother poking her head out the window, "Aren't you cold sweetheart?"_

_There was a bit of a chill, so I stood up, dusting my butt of any piece of grass or dirt that got on me and headed in._

" _You really fell asleep out there," my mother said, giving me a once over, before turning around and walking ahead of me. "Did they push you that hard at practice today?"_

" _A little bit," I responded, and without much thought I put my arms around her shoulders, hanging off her just a little bit. "I love you mama~"_

" _Awe, I love you too sweetheart."_

/ | \

It was five minutes til midnight when the house phone rang.

Bianchi happened to be the one loitering around the kitchen at the time and picked up, "Sawada –"

" _Bianchi, I can't get a hold of Reborn, something is blocking me off –"_ Iemitsu's voice and the urgency in it made the magenta haired woman straighten up, " _The Cloud match needs to be stopped, if the Gola Mosca is taken down – fucking shit!"_

Gun shots rang out, shouting ensued, Iemitsu barking orders, " _Get to the school, someone has to stop that match before –"_

The line went dead.

A second to put the phone back into a place and twenty to make it from the kitchen up to Natsume's room, and the girl must have been awake still by how quickly she answered.

"How fast can you get to the school?"

"What?" Natsume asked confused at the sudden question, but decided to change her answer when Bianchi's gaze narrowed. "Um, I'm…not really here right now?"

"What?" It was Bianchi's turn to say, though much more sharply than Natsume had. Jade eyes looked the girl up and down, before settling back onto the girl's hazel ones. Rather cheekily for the situation that was occurring, Natsume waved her fingers at her, distorting the way the appendages moved and wisps of indigos curling off.

"I'm not exactly real."

"Can you relay information to yourself?"

"Yes?"

"Your father called saying to stop the Cloud Match, something isn't right."

The not-Natsume blinked owlishly at her, nodding her head slowly, not even bothering to ask what exactly wasn't wrong, "I won't be able to maintain this after I send the message."

"I'll make sure your mother doesn't know you've snuck out."

The not-Natsume smiled cutely at her, holding up the peace sign, "Message sent~" and turned into a pool of mist, a little indigo bird flying out of it and zooming out the window. Bianchi watched as the last remaining flames extinguished themselves out, looking up only when the bed creaked and a large black cat stared back at her.

The big cat barred its teeth at her, straightening up and bounding towards the window, a low growl emitting from its throat. Bianchi strode into Natsume's room, locking the door behind her and luckily enough Natsume hadn't finished her snack from earlier.

Grabbing a handful of it, Bianchi let her flames do their work, turning the normally edible food into something that reeked and had she been anybody else, would melt through her skin. Of course she only found out that it did that when she threw it down onto the woman who was about to get into a knife fight with the big cat.

Bianchi didn't spare the woman, whose lower half of her face was starting to melt, not even when the large feline pounced on her, its teeth sinking into her neck getting a strangled cry out of her. Without missing another beat, the Italian Mafiosa pulled out the small pistol she had strapped beneath her shirt and got into a comfortable position.

Depending on how fast Natsume's message got there and if they even bothered listening to the girl, she'd have to wait and see on the results.

For now she could make sure that whoever decided to be a nuisance got a bullet through their brain.

_Part 41: We Take in Stride What Comes_

"What is it?" Kawahira asked, watching as Natsume tensed up when a wispy bird landed on her shoulder. He had chosen to come out again, wanting to see what the Cloudling of Namimori could do against the odd contraption that was his opponent.

There were tingles of Cloud and Sky flames and Kawahira was curious to know what kind of machinery humans have managed now to be able to contain a Clouds power.

"I think that thing has a person in it," she had wondered why she had felt an odd sense of foreboding about the thing, even when she tried to see into Jasmine's old memories of the old story earlier. She hadn't managed much from it. Her eyes narrowed as she looked beyond the fight and towards the remaining members of the Varia.

Mainly Xanxus, who looked far too pleased as he watched Hibari easily take down Gola Mosca.

Before he could advise his student against anything rash the girl had already run off as something must have clicked in her head and Kawahira could only watch, taking in the changing scene. He felt his student's power curl inward and then stretch out, keeping the young Cloud from making any further moves.

But it was too late, the motion of a threat was already made and Gola Mosca's systems had gone off, shooting its missiles at its target.

Kawahira only watched, hands clasped within the sleeves of his preferred yukata, knowing that he had once told the girl to be careful of showing her power, yet also knowing that she would push that aside to make sure the people around her were safe.

Shields and protections weren't a sign of a powerful Mist, Kawahira was sure that if the arcobaleno Viper had been there, the Esper would have caught on to what the girl was doing. There were cries of surprise from the others, having expected for it all to fall through under the power of the missiles that the machine had shot out.

Kawahira watched now, not as a mentor, but as Checkered Face, knowing that he was sure he had chosen well when the time came for the new holders of the pacifiers.

The brilliant burst of pure Golden flames and the way Natsume's unconsciously rose to tie in with it and push it forward, cemented that.

The next generation would last a lot longer this time around.

Of that he was sure.

/ | \

"Tsuna don't!" Natsume yelled, just barely managing a barrier between her brother and the contraption. Xanxus only looked on, a scowl on his face as the little bitch stopped the boy from obliterating the front of Gola Mosca.

Hibari glared from over Natsume's shoulder at Xanxus, watching the way the man reached for his gun. Hibari watched as the man stared heavily at the Sawada's, scarlet gaze not at all flinching away even when the sound of Natsume's flames tearing down the metal front of his opponent.

" _Old man_ ," Tsuna uttered, not at all expecting to see Timoteo of all people to be inside the machine. He wasn't awake, his face twisted as if he was going through pain (and he probably was, the Gola Mosca wasn't in the best of shape after Hibari – _what had the prefect done? No what had Xanxus done?_ )

"See what happens when you overstep your bounds?" Xanxus said, enjoying the expression that crossed the boy's face – one of horror and dismay.

What the fuck had Nono been thinking about setting him up for Vongola?

Xanxus looked over to the girl, the one that Mammon had said wasn't anyone to worry about and yet here she was eyes narrowed and proving that she was more than capable of doing as she pleased. Mammon had failed to keep an eye on the girl, something always obscuring her from where she was to what she was doing.

To find out that the supposed brat that 'wasn't much' could be a lot more and a fucking hassle to deal with didn't exactly make him happy.

"Self-destruct," the Varia boss uttered, turning away.

His original plan had been scrapped, to pin the blame on the brat for continuing a fight long after it was finished. The destructive power of the Mosca – coupled with a previous Cloud users flame and Nono's sky, would create an explosion that would knock the little bitch's shields down and eradicate anyone within the vicinity.

There would be no one to stand against his word of what had happened, the only proof having gone up in flames after the to-be-Decimo instigated the other side.

/ | \

The Gola Mosca beeped in confirmation at the command and Tsuna watched as Timoteo twitched, trying to curl into himself as his breathing stuttered, starting to gasp for breath.

"Tsuna take Hibari, he can't walk," his sister's cool tone got his attention and he realized that his hands were shaking. His concentration had long since slipped away, so why was he still calling on his flames? Usually they would have sputtered out with his lack of attention, but they were still going strong.

"I can –"

"We have seconds," the girl cut the Prefect off, stepping past the barrier she made and taking a hold of Timoteo. Natsume peered over her shoulder, mouth pressed in a tight line, brow furrowed and Tsuna wondered how his sister could be so calm in this situation, when everything was literally about to go to absolute shit.

(She had always been like that though, even when the bullying started, even when he struggled and he knew he was too much to handle. She always pushed and kept herself steady so that he could be alongside her. Sometimes it was almost as if she expected it all to happen.)

"Fucking move away Tsuna!" she spat as a fire lit itself on her forehead.

He didn't know how he moved, his legs felt like jelly, but he found himself doing it, actually picking up Hibari and moving away. The brunet landed beside Reborn, the arcobaleno staring straight ahead watching Natsume work, while keeping everyone else from approaching her.

Tsuna set Hibari down, moving away from the Prefect as the older teen tried to get at him for even touching him. Mukuro's trio were good, Hayato was gritting his teeth and Ryohei sported an uncharacteristic frown; everyone was okay, and he looked back to his sister only able to watch as the seconds ticked by and she still didn't move.

(Kawahira watched too, a smirk quirking his mouth as he watched his student weave her 'magic', spelling and tearing away the bonds of the machine that were living off of the human's flames, deducing that the less power the machine got the more survivable the explosion would be.

She was smart, weaving her flames around the form of the old man, curling around him protectively, her own harmony twining with his for the moment to give him a brief peace, while also curling around herself since she probably wouldn't be able to get out of there in time.

He felt his nails dig into the meaty part of his palm and Kawahira realized that maybe he cared much, much more than he thought he did about the girl.

Still he could not interfere, this was the trouble she brought upon herself and he could only watch.)

There was a silence after the final beep and the explosion that sounded around the area shook the ground.

" _Natsume_!"

It was Hayato that yelled, Tsuna staring, his breath caught in his throat as he watched the explosion, a bright light of purple accompanying it, making the brunet and the others shield their eyes.

When the light faded, there were pieces of metal splayed about, but none reached them, the shields, barriers whatever it was his sister erected still holding strong. Tsuna bit the inside of his lower lip, unclasping his hands from his jeans and slowly moving towards the new gouge in the ground up ahead.

Reborn moved past him, not at all understanding Tsuna's slow pace, even if the boy's thoughts which were reeling with anxiety and panic, spoke of how he truly felt.

He came upon two figures, one gingerly holding the other, their head turning to him and a mismatched pair of eyes looked at him, looking slightly ruffled but mostly annoyed.

"Xanxus has daddy issues, doesn't he?" Natsume asked, chancing a glance down at the now peaceful old man, his flames settling nicely when before they were agitated and being actively drained.

Reborn stared at the dirt covered girl, eyes roving down to her arms, the jacket she had been wearing cut up from whatever shrapnel she had failed to cover away from. That or the resulting thing had crashed whatever shield she had managed for herself, she of course had made sure that Timoteo would be the lesser damaged of the two.

"You could have saved yourself and left him," he knew she wasn't too happy with Nono, the man having been the one to seal them off and make them barely competent people, and also the one to push forth her brother for Vongola's Throne.

She blinked and her eyes were back to their hazel coloring, eyes crinkling as she smiled, "And give Xanxus the chance to twist everything to the rest of the Vongola, to have them all come down on behalf of Nono to finish off the one who killed him?" Her voice was quiet, yet harsh, the conclusion she had come to not far off from what could have happened. She wasn't wrong at all, because there were people that still supported Xanxus, albeit quietly, that would side with him.

There was a curse and Dino was moving past Tsuna who had stood at the edge of the small crater, eyes wide as he stared at the scene before him. The young Don waved over a few of his own men, some moving in to slide down and help Timoteo, another to take a look at Natsume's arms.

Tsuna narrowed his eyes as he saw the extent of his sister's damage, the sleeves of her hoodie had been pretty much torn apart, which the medic cut away so that he could heal her arms. Once the man was done, Dino motioned him away, looking down to his old tutor to see what he had to say.

"Xanxus has crossed a line," Reborn finally said, his fedora casting a shadow over his features and hiding them from the three around them. "There will be consequences for this, once Timoteo is well enough I will speak to him privately about this."

With that said the hitman made his way out of the small crater, Dino lingered, helping Natsume up and was about to ask if she needed help getting out, especially with the way she winced when she put weight on her right leg. She waved him away, the blond though was about to help her either way, when Tsuna moved in, putting an arm around his sister's waist, and kind of dragging her out.

Dino blinked, surprised to see Tsuna looking so upset and angry, the look actually directed at Natsume. A sigh left the Cavallone Don, hand ruffling through his hair – he would understand if Tsuna was upset that his sister was hurt, and also angry at her for getting involved when she shouldn't have too.

The brunet should of course consider that if Natsume hadn't, there would be much bigger problems at hand.

/ | \

"You got hurt –"

"When don't I?" She had a habit of getting hurt, especially when she just jumped into situations without thinking them through. It had happened countless times with bullies that decided to get more than a little hand on with her brother or her, and it was something that Kawahira was beating out of her.

Slowly, but steady, at least she wasn't as badly injured as she could have been.

That had been rather careless of her to say, Tsuna's fingers dug into her side and he stopped just before reaching Ryohei and Hayato (one of who was shouting after Hibari's retreating figure, the other smoking a cigarette.)

" _Are you okay?"_

" _A little jacked up, but I'll be fine."_

"… _.why Tsume?"_

Tsuna watched the frown that marred his sister's face, slightly shaking her head, mouth pursing as she tried to think of the words to say or explain why exactly she had done what she did, " _Do you ever get a bad feeling about something?"_ One of her hands rested over her stomach, grasping at her hoodie, " _It was a gut feeling Tsuna and it kept bothering me."_

Yeah, he understood that too.

He didn't like it, but he was grateful that he had someone like his sister around. If not who knows how much worse the situation would have gotten.

/ | \

They were on their way back home, Tsuna wanting to make sure that Ryohei had made it safely to his. Hayato would be sleeping over as it was usual for the teen to stick with the brunet, giving the teen actual time to question Natsume.

"It takes time Hayato," Natsume sighed, nearly rolling her eyes at her brother's best friend stubbornness, as she leaned her weight against him. "Yes you made it happen once and in a sudden burst, but weren't you exhausted afterwards?"

"I had just finished fighting –"

"Okay and? You've picked a fight or two, how do you usually come out of those?"

The teen pursed his lips, looking straight ahead as he figured the answer for that. Sure there was the physical exhaustion and the pains of any hits that he had taken. When it had come to his battle on Saturday though, he was almost at his breaking point, Belphegor having pushed him to his limits as he toyed with him.

Especially after that release of whatever it was he had done, it had given him an advantage, but he was sure if it wasn't for Shamal cutting in as quickly as he did, Belphegor would have been done with him.

"….point."

"You have to build it up slowly," the girl rephrased her words, briefly squeezing Hayato's side. "Actually sitting down and just meditating on them will help, but that's if you have the patience to do that. Or you can have someone force them out for you like Reborn does for Tsuna."

"What would you suggest?"

"I'm not big on getting shot just to get an idea of how my flames flow or having anything forced on me actually, like I said I can help you, but it'll be mostly learning what works for you."

Hayato stayed quiet after that, thinking over what possible ways could help him while also keeping track of the surrounding area. Namimori may be safe at any time of the day, but it was nearly two in the morning and who knew if those bastards would try something else.

"Say Natsume…"

They had made it home, pausing outside the front gate and Natsume hummed as her brother turned to look at her, "Who is teaching you all this stuff?"

The girl blinked, suddenly feeling Hayato's sharp and very curious gaze, "Would you like to meet them?"

Tsuna felt his sister's hesitance, even if she hid it rather well. It wasn't about actually meeting the person though, how long had they been teaching his sister and for her to only offer to introduce them once he questioned it.

"It'd be nice to know that it's not some creepy guy you go see."

She stuck her tongue out in retaliation to that remark, "Excuse you, but I am very good judge of character."

"….aren't you the one who likes the villains in the stories?"

"That has nothing to do with this."

"..." Tsuna didn't say anything, only pursing his lips and giving his sister a questioning look who seemed to puff up a little at the insinuation about her judgement of character.

" _Nothing_ to do with this," Kawahira wasn't a bad guy; he was just a shop keep at an antique store and had his one lone worker always running errands to certain parts of the world. He was just an odd, super old man, who if you managed to get on his good side treated you well and taught you some pretty cool things. "I'll ask if he'd like to meet you all. Wouldn't want to surprise him and give him a heart attack."

"So he's an old creep?"

"Maa, sensei's not a creep."

The gate clicked shut behind them as they bantered, Hayato mostly grilling the girl about just saying yes to anyone without actually knowing them and Tsuna just exasperated.

She did have a tendency to move forward without really thinking much of the consequences, 'just doing' as she liked to say, so hopefully her choice of teacher won't come back to bite her in the butt.

As they trudged upstairs, voices low and whispering good night as they finally made it to their respective rooms, Tsuna tugged at the back of his sister's sweater, "Hey Tsume,"

"Ya?"

"Want to go visit Takeshi tomorrow before school? Or after? Whichever one."

"Before school is fine," she covered her mouth with the back of her hand as she yawned, shaking her head lightly afterwards. She then moved and gave Tsuna a hug, which the brunet returned. She leaned her chin down on his shoulder, "You'll be fine, okay Tsuna? I know you can do it, just," she paused, pulling back and openly staring at him. Her hands came up to his shoulders, squeezing them as she finished, "Just keep doing you."

"What?"

"You do you, you'll be fine."

She then pulled away, hiding another yawn as she turned to her room, Tsuna could only stare after his sister, knowing that trying to get her to explain what she was trying to say, wouldn't be happening.

Hadn't he been doing himself?

And what had that got him?

A lot of headaches (his sister could have died if it hadn't been for those shields of hers; Takeshi nearly died the other night, and just the worry and frustration of seeing his friends in these situations because of him. And just _everything._ He was actually just over these battles, he had seen them for what they really were tonight and he just felt empty.

And It made him question what kind of father was Timoteo like to have a son like Xanxus.)

"If you keep making that face, it will stay like that."

"Reborn?"

"And if you think any harder you'll make yourself dizzy, go to bed Tsuna."

"Pfft, I highly doubt that's a thing –" a green slipper smacked the teen upside the head and he was moving before it could come up for a second hit. "Alright, alright, haven't I suffered enough violence?" the brunet uttered under his breath, rubbing the back of his head as he made his way into his room.

Reborn didn't cluck his tongue, just staring after the teen, gaze shifting over to Natsume's closed door. He didn't know if to count Natsume's surprise presence a good sign or what, what she had done had saved Nono from a much more terrible fate than just a machine exploding.

Tsuna's flames were ready to destroy; they would have burned into Timoteo and would have made it harder to keep the man alive while trying to heal the injuries that would have caused.

The hitman moved into the room, he would be getting ready for bed, but like hell he would actually be sleeping. There were watchers around the home, though they wouldn't dare come in while he was here. He'd have to make sure tomorrow that Bianchi had anything she would need to protect the people within the house.

Everything had gone to shit so quickly, tomorrow though, Xanxus would be getting what was coming to him.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or stuff.**

**Word Count:** 9163

* * *

_Part 42: One More Day_

Natsume was woken up by her cellphone ringing.

Without much thought she flipped it open and answered, " _Buenas, qu_ _é_ _pasa?"_ The words didn't register in her head, but Naito was laughing, before complimenting her on her accent.

" _That's really good Sawada! Didn't know you were picking up Spanish, maybe we should practice together sometime hmm~"_ and she froze as Naito's words made some sort of sense. She shot up in bed, quietly grumbling to herself, ignoring the meow of protest from Emi who had been curled up by her side and had been shoved away by her movements.

"You don't call Longchamp, what's up?"

The boy whistled a merry tune of his making, instead of answering right away. She would love to strangle him, but he was so far away, so she settled for hoping that he pissed off Pantera and that the girl pummeled him without remorse.

" _How are things, you haven't really been texting back with updates."_

"Things are as good as they're going to get here," Natsume said, pressing her palm against her forehead before running it through her hair. She made a soft 'mou' as her fingers pulled at a knot in her hair and she knew if she looked in the mirror her hair would be some type of wild that she didn't want to deal with.

And people wondered why she kept her hair in a braid or a ponytail. At least it didn't stick up like Tsuna's, but it was still just as thick, at least it was more manageable than her brother's.

Ugh, thoughtless distractions, that's what she was doing. She picked through her clothes, pulling out one of her skirts that didn't fit her short like the others, along with a undershirt and a clean uniform shirt and setting them on the bed. "Todays the last test  _y'know._ "

" _Ah, that's what Mangusta says, you'll probably see me in class soon."_

"Joy."

She would have probably noticed his absence more if she wasn't more preoccupied with everything going on. She had also promised that she would try to get back on top of her physical work, though thinking about it she may have found a way to cover that.

Hopefully either Hibari and maybe Chrome if she decided to go along with what Mukuro asked of her, helped in that end on keeping her on her toes. Kawahira wasn't going to be nice anymore by giving her freebies.

"Bring me something yeah?"

" _I may consider it, what does the Prince like?"_

"Prince?"

" _I know what I said."_

Natsume snorted, already used to Longchamp calling her 'kun', "Whatever you think will suit me."

" _Ohoo~ My time to make Sawada-kun a pretty prince then!"_

"Good luck with that."

" _I have to go,"_ the boy said after his snickering died down, his voice taking on a much more serious tone. " _Be careful, Sawada-kun."_

And he hung up with that. Natsume pulled the device away from her ear, staring as the backscreen lights went black. It was her cat curling between her legs that brought her out of her stupor and Natsume closed the phone, throwing it back on the bed before bending down and picking up her cat.

She held the cats lone orange paw, thumb rubbing the ' _pink nubs of cuteness '_ , "I'm sorry for startling you, how about a good morning snack, hm?"As she passed by Tsuna's room, she knocked her knuckles against his door, " _Oi, wake up!"_  There was the sound of shuffling and as she was heading down stairs the door opened.

"Too early," Hayato grumbled as he walked out like a zombie, rubbing at one eye while glaring at her with the other. She waved at him with Emi's paw, earning a snort from the boy as he turned to go to the restroom and get ready for the day.

/ | \

"Sawada-dono!"

"Please Basil just Tsuna."

The sandy haired teen nodded, "Of course Sawada-dono," which earned a sigh from Tsuna and a curious glance from Natsume. Basil turned to the girl and bowed, "We have not been formally introduced, I am Basil, Sawada-hime."

Natsume was more than a little taken back (it was way too early and she was sure she remembered this boy spoke Japanese in very an old fashioned way, then again, that was probably the memories overlapping or her being weird) at the address, "Hi, um please don't call me hime?"

The boy nodded, "Of course Sawada-san."

Tsuna cast her disbelieving look, but before he could say anything, Basil spoke again, "You are visiting your friend today yes?" Basil then smiled at all of them, hands clasped behind his back, "Reborn-san called me, I am to be escorting you today if you are visiting the hospital."

"Escort, is that necessary?" Natsume asked as she forced her foot into her already tied shoes, too lazy to bother untying them to put them on normally.

"Yamamoto-kun is under strict care," she felt as if there was more to that, but she had a feeling if she asked Basil wouldn't give her a straight answer. She sighed after succeeding on putting on her shoes, straightening up, hands on her hips as she rolled her shoulders back.

"So I'm assuming we have a just as strict time schedule," Hayato asked as Natsume turned to ruffle through her gym bag and switching out her shoes with another pair that she had in the closet.

Basil nodded, "The car is waiting outside, if you are all ready, we can leave now."

Hayato and Tsuna slipped their shoes on, following Basil out as he led them towards the plain black car that waited for them out front. The ride to the hospital was a quiet one with Basil sitting up front and the three making themselves comfortable in the back.

It ended with Natsume putting her legs on Tsuna's lap, Hayato knocking her feet away before she could place her heels on his thighs. "Ma, Hayato," and before she could say anything else Tsuna got her attention by grabbing the arm she had put over his shoulder and bringing it over his head. He lifted the sleeve of her sweater, his fingers brushing over her forearm as he looked over the now healed over cuts.

"Tsuna?"

"Are you going to be able to play fine at practice?"

Hayato leaned over, noting how faded the cuts looked even if she had gotten them last night, "Yeah," she answered, letting her brother reach for her other arm and giving that one a look over. "They don't really ache; I think I've suffered worse from Reborn and sensei."Here Tsuna gazed up at her, giving her a curious look, and he didn't notice it, though Natsume did, but Basil's as well, "No one's hurting me more than they should, plus I'm able to give back just as much if I'm lucky enough."

"You can only be so lucky," Hayato said, leaning back and slouching against the door, turning his attention to the passing by scenery.

"True, gotta hope I get good enough soon, eh?"

Tsuna frowned, keeping his hands over his sister's. A brief squeeze from his sister had him looking at her again and her expression pretty much asked if he was okay. He nodded minutely, she didn't seem to take that as much but she let up, mimicking Hayato as she too leaned back against the door.

Tsuna looked straight ahead, not at all really seeing where they were going, his sister's words echoing in his head.

' _hope I get good enough'_

Yeah, he couldn't hope, not anymore. None of them can hope to get good enough, they  _had_ too.

/ | \

When they got to the hospital, they were told to wait a couple minutes for one of the staff members. A middle aged woman, dressed down in puppy patterned hospital scrubs came to get them. Natsume felt a chill settle over them as the woman led them, moving to be between Tsuna and Hayato to keep them close just in case anything happened.

The other two didn't seem to notice, but Basil did, the teen noting this to report to his Boss.

They were led up three floors and towards one of the more well-lit rooms in the unit they were brought into.

"He's still sleeping, so don't be too loud," the nurse told them, checking over the clipboard before she put it down and exited the room.

Tsuna was the first to move to the chair that was beside Takeshi's bed, Hayato moving and sitting on the arm rest as Natsume stayed near the foot of the bed. The tanned teen was sleeping, looking a lot more peaceful than the night she had pulled him out of the building. There were bruises on his face that were more yellowish and faded than the dark coloring they should be, along with various bandages peeking from beneath the sleeves and collar of his shirt.

"He looks a lot better than yesterday," Hayato said, arms crossed against his chest, watching as Natsume made her own assessment of the baseball player. "If he had stayed any longer in there, he could be worse off."

"You really came in handy that night," Dino's voice piped up, startling the two, though it earned him a bland stare from Natsume.

"And you were a bit of downer," she commented and if Dino's expression became just a bit more pinched, she pretended not to notice, though she did feel a hint of satisfaction.

"I was only watching out for him, he's lucky he's still alive."

She tilted her head, one brow raising, "Yes…lucky," she murmured softly, fingers reaching and curling into the blanket that hung over the edge. "Dino-san, you do know that whatever energy you put out there has a tendency of shaping the moment."

"Is this that what goes around comes around?"

"No," she answered and then she shook her head with a sigh escaping her. "Similar, but ah, it's more like if you know you're going to fail and you end up setting yourself up to fail."

"Self-fulfilling prophecy," Reborn spoke up, who smirked at the reaction that he received from all of them. It seems even Dino still had his moments where he could miss him, something to be looked into at a later date. "But that's more of how a person deals with it, are you saying that Takeshi set himself up for failure?"

She let go of the blanket, her thumb rubbing against her pointer and middle fingers, "No, but yes? It has more to do with outside forces influencing an outcome; it also depends on the power of the individual to be able to make it actual reality."

Natsume looked at Dino and held up her hands, shaking her head, "I'm not blaming you Dino-san. It's just your vibes that night kind of killed the mood?"

The blond gave her a deadpanned stare, shaking his head, "If that's what you believe, but I highly doubt what I thought and said had anything to do with it." Squalo was just that much of an obstacle; he wasn't called the Second Sword Emperor because it had been handed down to him, but because he took the title from the previous man through pure force and bloody skill.

_Very_  bloody skill.

She gave a tight smile, could already hear Kawahira criticizing him, and nodded, "That is my belief, but it's also yours."

Dino heard, but didn't acknowledge her saying that, instead turning to Tsuna, "He'll be discharged tomorrow morning if he keeps healing at the rate he has."

"Tsuyoshi-san would be happy to hear that," Tsuna said, looking more relaxed, if confused over what had just happened. "Thank you Dino, for all this really, I don't know what –"

The blond held his hand up, cutting off the younger teen, and giving him a kind smile, "Hey, you're my little bro, if I'm able too, I'll help you in any way you can."

"How's Timoteo-ossan by the way?"

Natsume had moved from the foot of the bed, to stand in front of where Tsuna sat her butt just barely on the edge of the bed as she leaned against. The conversation going on behind her was more background noise as she looked over Takeshi. She ended up focusing on the top bandage just above his collar bone and with care to not make it obvious, she pulsed her flame lightly against his quietly thrumming one.

The response wasn't immediate, though his flame did react in turn. It took a couple seconds longer for Takeshi's eyes to flutter open and Natsume straightened back up, smiling kindly down at the baseball player.

"Hey sleepy head," she said softly, getting the attention of the others in the room. "Good dreams?"

The teen hummed, breathing in deeply before letting it out slowly, "Sometimes there's a shark, other times there's this pretty mermaid….I don't know which is more terrifying."

She rolled her eyes, "You can punch the shark in the nose at least, I don't' know about the mermaid," she offered helpfully, crossing her arms beneath her chest.

"You sure do know how to sleep," Hayato commented, jade eyes watching as the baseball player pushed himself up slowly. Tsuna had already gotten up to help straighten up the bed and add another pillow, while Natsume settled once more against the end of the bed, having grown tired of shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

One hand fiddled with the necklace she wore, her thumb pressing against the sharp point of the crystal that was attached to the silver chain. Tsunayoshi was soothed, happy to know that his friend was well and looking a lot better than he had a couple nights ago, Hayato was as calm as he could be seeing that his friend and boss were fine.

Natsume chanced a glance over towards the entrance, where Dino stood talking with one of his men and Reborn. She caught Dino's gaze, but she looked away quickly, tuning into the conversation going on between the boys around her.

She doubted anybody would understand, unless she explained it thoroughly.

But now wasn't the time.

And she still hadn't asked Kawahira.

She barely made a sound as she felt the tip of her crystal pierce the fat part of her thumb, drawing a small droplet of blood.

They still had to get through tonight, Tsuna had to prove himself against Xanxus and insure a win. If not, well, she wouldn't mind going out in a fight.

(At least here she'd have a standing chance, unlike before.)

_Part 43: The Hours Drag On_

It was nice to get into this state without the aid of the pills.

It was like trying to blink away the fog he sometimes got in his eyes, fuzzy one second, he blinks, and when he opens them again everything is clearer. It's almost surreal how much he feels at peace and in balance, how he can relate everything to his person and everything outside of his person and just understand.

He could understand without having to turn around that Basil was taking a pill; that the sandy haired teen's Rain was oozing out in a flowing pattern over his body, that he took a slight step back before running at him.

At first it had been overwhelming and he had to get used to the extra input he was getting and also accommodate whatever was coming at him with the intention to hurt him.

Not that Basil would actually hurt him.

But the teen didn't pull his punches, so Tsuna tilted his head to the left, his body falling in that direction, palms facing down and with a brief flare of fire that also turned him around, he dodged Basil's strike and Tsuna's own jab to the face was blocked.

A short hand to hand fight ensued, Basil pushing back his forehand and using his height to try to push Tsuna down before he tried to kick him with a Rain imbued leg that would have numbed the right side of his body if it had connected.

He only had five minutes, that was the limit Basil had given him this time around, so that the teen wouldn't be as exhausted as he usually ended up.

Tsuna smiled, one that from far away Reborn recognized as something all the Sawada's did when they were about to get their way or something good was about to happen – it was a half-smile, more of a quirk of one side of their mouth than anything, but they all did it. And then the boy moved, his smaller build letting him get around Basil much faster than the CEDEF apprentice thought he could.

Basil would later on say that he completely blanked out, that one second he was trading blows with Tsuna, he caught the younger teen's amber gaze and then the next second the boy was throwing him over his shoulder, digging his knee into his stomach, the edge of his hand held against his throat, an uncomfortable warmth starting there as the boy slowly released his flames.

"That was good Tsunayoshi-kun."

Tsuna pulled his hand away as Basil's flame dispersed, straightening up and holding out the very hand to help the teen up. (Tsuna didn't say anything, but he was also really happy he managed to get Basil to drop calling him Sawada-dono.)

"You've helped me a lot this week Basil-san," he said, grunting a little at the effort as he helped Basil up, before dusting off his clothes. "Should we try it again in ten minutes?"

The sandy haired teen's hair swayed as he bobbed his head in approval, "Of course, I will be as ready as I can be."

/ | \

"You've been away awhile."

"I was here the other day and I saw you yesterday."

"Of course, of course, tea?"

The beads leading to the back room parted, making a rain stick-like sound as they clacked against each other, soon followed by Natsume's bags hitting the floor with a dull thud and then her rustling about the kitchen. Kawahira refrained from rolling his eyes, though he did huff lightly when he heard the undoubtedly familiar sound of his student cracking her back as the bones popped and she sighed in content.

"You're going to hurt yourself one of these days," he said over his shoulder, for once comfortable at the counter, if only because he had switched out his regular stool for a more comfortable looking one that Wonomichi had dragged in the other day.

The beaded curtain jingled and he saw the amused look in his student's face, "I can deal with hurting myself."

This time he did roll his eyes, turning his attention back to the small book he was writing in to keep track of the sales of the day, along with adding up the numbers of the overall funds. There was a dull chime and without much thought the sign on the door flipped over to display 'closed', the next five chimes that followed had the lights going out, a corner of the room that had been messed with by a pair of young children righted itself, the clothes rearranged themselves to the order he had them in, the blinds on the door unfurled, and the sense that the shop was as safe as it was going to be let him know that his protections had gone up.

He closed the book, putting it away in the drawer just beneath the register, and then made his way to the back room, where he saw his student going through his fridge, already chewing on a banana as she took out a few ingredients to make herself a sandwich.

"Why does this all have to smell like this," her nose twitched and the white haired man only poked the back of her head.

"That is a question for which I do not have an answer."

"It smells terrible sensei."

"Yes, well if your sensibilities do not like it, find something to mask the scent."

She made a sound similar to that of the kid from the grudge as she closed the fridge. A bad idea as she inhaled while she had been eating a piece of banana and nearly choked on it, "Watch me," was all she managed out.

Kawahira rolled his eyes, snapping his fingers to get Natsume's attention and pointing to the cupboard right beside the fridge where he kept on his herbal teas and blends. Already knowing what he was asking for she pulled out a jar and handed it off to him, "A step in the right direction for those lotions of yours, no?"

Natsume only grumbled as he uncorked the jar, holding it out to her so she could decide how much was enough for her that day. Five pinches of the herb had been the amount she had drank the first time and it had been enough to make her drowsy, so she put in the same amount.

He didn't say anything to her, merely raising a brow as he grabbed at the wrist that held the banana peel, looking over her arms which were littered with healed cuts and a few fresh bruises. "Make your food, the tea should be done by the time you're finished."

She grumbled quietly as he headed back into the main room, where she could hear him setting up the room for whatever he had planned that day. The sound of a match being struck, the accompanying scent of burning wood let her know what they would be doing today.

She should probably make an extra sandwich for later to make up for the energy she would be losing in the upcoming session.

Unlike what she had done earlier in the week with the small prayer and burning candle, Kawahira was going to put her through the whole ordeal, which would end up exhausting her more than her body putting up against a small dose of poison.

The Order of Reciprocal (or as she called it  _equivalent exchange_ because that's all it came down to in the end) something that was often taught in many religions, but under different names and through different attitudes, usually to give unto others as one did to oneself.

Or to treat others how you would like to be treated, which ended up being the same thing, no? She made a face as she thought about it, thinking more if she should add another piece of ham to her sandwich after quickly getting over her previous train of thought.

The kettle was starting to whistle, her time was nearly up.

Nastume honestly couldn't wait for this week to be over.

Really all she wanted to do was sleep.

/ | \

Hibari didn't find it odd that he was able to find the Sawada girl only after she left the market area. She apparently hadn't been expecting him to show up anywhere around her by the way she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Hibari-san?" she broke the silence after it was obvious that he was following her, the little bird that had been nesting in his hair having flown over to settle on her shoulder. Yes he was walking in front of her, but his pace matched hers and the prefect probably had questions over last night, or the previous night.

Or he was doing as he pleased, which wasn't at all unusual for Hibari.

"That Monkey man will be fighting your brother today."

Was he referring to Xanxus like that? She was going to assume yes, because who else could he be talking about?

"Yeesss," the word was a little drawn out, she still felt a little sluggish over the tea and expending her flames on Kawahira's ritual, even if she felt a little bit lighter and better after going through it.

It was still exhausting.

"Hibari-san how is your leg?" he had been hurt and she didn't notice if he had taken off on his own or had gotten the injury looked at. Judging by the way he was walking it seemed he had gotten it healed (though he could also be fronting like he had back in Kokuyo.) She frowned, eyes narrowing when she didn't get an answer from the prefect, the older teen just walking as if nothing was wrong. "I'm going to assume its fine then."

And here would have been the part where she would have loved to lightly tap the back of his knee with her foot to have his leg suddenly go out and see if he could catch himself in time or not. Of course she didn't want to do that, because one she didn't know the boy that well and two that was asking for a fight.

"Hibari, Hibari~" the little bird on her shoulder chirped as they got to the last main intersection before it all just became side streets through the neighborhoods, fluttering from her and back to the dark haired teen.

While she waited for her crosswalk to signal green, Hibari's was giving him the right to go, "If Sawada hesitates, that man is mine," he said to her, just barely turning his head so that he could catch her eye. She rose one brow, mouth pursing before being drawn into a strained seeming smile and nodded at him.

He walked off, not waiting for whatever she had to say.

Natsume watched him go, shaking her head.

She highly doubted Tsuna would hold back, if she knew her brother well enough, all his buttons had been pushed as Ryohei would say ' _to the extreme_ '. The people he cared about had been hurt,  _she_ who was not supposed to be involved in this had gotten hurt, and if he even had a clue about the previous two attacks at home, he would be beyond pissed.

Tsuna was currently keeping his temper in check, but even she could tell her brother was waiting for that moment. Compared to her he was much more level headed, he waited and held back, while she just went for it.

And she would be there tonight; though she was sure she had a feeling Tsuna didn't want her there. Kawahira would be there as well to see how well she had taken to the tea and to accompany her in case things went wrong.

Again.

Not that he didn't do anything about it yesterday.

Natsume sighed, first things first though, get home, shower and maybe a nap? She'd have to remember to power a crystal to hold up a clone of herself to finish off her homework, other than that she could catnap for an hour before she had to get going.

/ | \

Tsuna had made off from their training site a while ago, instead of heading home like he said he was, he found himself coming to the clearing he and his sister had made months ago. Unlike the last time he had seen it ( _the grass and bushes had been burned up, the ground scorched up, Reborn had made for higher ground, but even the trees came down eventually, becoming ashes under the heat of the combined flame of he and his sister_ ) there was more green to it than how they had left it.

It was quiet in the small area, a peaceful atmosphere coming from the place. Tsuna could feel himself breathe a little easier, his shoulders not as tense as he relaxed. Getting to the middle of the area he decided to sit, laying out on his back, staring up at the canopy and darkening sky above.

He felt as if he could think a little more clearly, his thoughts not all hung up on his worries, his fears or his anger. He felt as he did before all of this started, before Reborn ever showed up. Sure he felt more whole now than he had been at that time, but there was a bliss that came with not knowing about the life he had now.

Maybe that's why he was so angry with his father, he had taken that away from them (maybe he was also just as angry, because he felt that in some way his father hadn't volunteered to be a part of this life, that maybe he also had no other choice, but still….his father could get away….he was capable wasn't he?) had taken himself out of their lives for long periods of time, could barely makeup his absence by staying a couple weeks before he had to leave them again.

Now it wasn't just hurting them, it was hurting his friends, people who shouldn't have been involved with this and yet here they were being dragged in. It didn't matter if they were more than willing to do this, to go along with this for him, Tsuna didn't have the right to take a peaceful life away from them.

He closed his eyes, feeling the light sting of the oncoming tears.

He shouldn't be crying damn it, he should be doing something about this.

When he blinked open his eyes again, a tear fell, but his eyes were hard, his mind made up.

He had no other choice  _but_ to do something.

And for his family and friends, he would do anything – even fight a rage-filled man, who wanted the title and power, because he thought he deserved it more than him. Well, Tsuna would like to see Xanxus try. He would like to see what a man full of anger could get, when he couldn't even appreciate the people he had around him.

_Part 44: The Last Midnight Battle_

"The final battle is one between not only the Sky ring holders, but the Guardians as well," the Cervello kept talking, not at all pausing to take notice of how those words got a loud reaction not only from Tsuna, but the others with him. "It is to test the Sky, to see how they fight when their elements are fighting their own battles. Will the Skies let their elements fail or will they help them succeed? Will the elements hinder their Sky, or will they prove themselves to them?"

"That's bullshit," Natsume muttered, shocked at what she was hearing.

"Did you honestly believe they would play fair when they were on the losing side?"

"The others have already gone through their own fights, why pull them into another one?"

Plus Takeshi was missing and Lambo hadn't been brought, "They brought the child themselves it seems, I wonder how they managed that?" Kawahira pointed out. He didn't bother looking over his student, already knowing that she would be visibly upset, instead he reached over and put a hand on her shoulder and gave a brief squeeze, "A summons perhaps? They did bring back the Mist girl and the Cloud boy."

"Hibari-san just wants the chance to get at Xanxus," Natsume mumbled, her eyes trained on Lambo who was led towards Tsuna. She was obviously not happy and her brother seemed to be feeling the same by the way his mouth was pursed.

The Cervello nodded to each other, "All the Guardians are accounted for, the match will begin in five minutes, please be at the selected grounds within that time frame."

Natsume watched as Tsuna crouched down for Lambo, putting his hands on the boy's shoulders and told him something that made afro haired boy nod. Lambo held out his wrist to Tsuna, before patting the brunet's face and following the pink haired woman that had brought him in.

"Sensei,"

"Hm?"

"If they can pull this, can't we do something as well?"

Kawahira made it seem as if he was thinking over what his student was suggesting, before shrugging, "Perhaps, wouldn't you want your brother to pull through this on his own?"

Natsume breathed heavily through her nose, crossing her arms against her chest, almost hunching in on herself as she did so, but she didn't say anything. If she recalled correctly, Squalo wasn't even supposed to be fighting, that gave the Varia an extra edge that they didn't have in that old story. There were three grown ass adults, whatever the Mist baby was and the blond teen, people who were obviously better trained and didn't really have much morals to get the job done.

She tapped her finger against her elbow, Kawahira watching her debate with herself internally.

Hayato had his ring that she could probably get too, it had only been a couple weeks since she had made sure to 'bless' it for him as she had done for the bracelet Lambo had. She cursed to herself, Tsuna was without the necklace she had meant to give him for his birthday, but her brother could get by. Chrome could get by with Mukuro's help if he felt well enough and Hibari….well….he would want to get back at these guys for deciding to use his school and tarnishing it.

Ryohei was probably the one she should really be worrying about; everyone had something extra to them, unlike the boxer, whose one ace had been revealed at his battle.

"Last resort, I don't want anyone dying."

Kawahira nodded, once more folding his arms within the sleeves of his yukata, "No deaths will happen today then."

/ | \

The seconds passed by slowly, the five minutes nearly up and Tsuna didn't know if he wanted the time to come any sooner or if there was a way to pause time. His opponent sat a ways away from him in a throne like chair (and he could almost hear Natsume making a smart ass comment about it), looking at him as if this was all a waste of his time and Tsuna was nothing more than a bother.

Well.

Maybe.

But had Xanxus considered that maybe he was wasting everybody's time and energy on something that was so selfishly wanted?

No.

Of course he hadn't and Tsuna doubted Xanxus would ever really care to think over what he had done, unless of course Tsuna was able to give him the beat down of a century and send him into thinking over what he had done, which was the plan.

He did have to be careful about it, Xanxus could pull some bullshit at the last second which would hinder his friends and that was something he really didn't want to happen.

(There were a lot of things that he didn't want to happen anymore and he was about to show everyone  _why_ Tsuna was the worst person to piss off.)

"You just going to stand there scum?"

"Are you just going to sit?"

Ah, and people wondered how he could be related to Natsume when he was considered such a mouse. No, Tsuna was quite capable of being a little shit just as much as his sister could be; he could also pack quite a punch if he really wanted too.

" _Poison will be administered within two minutes to the Guardians."_

Tsuna grit his teeth, his eyes merely crescents as he smiled at Xanxus. The leather of his gloves was heating up and Tsuna decided that he was done. Without much thought he raised his hands and did the kid like 'finger gun' that Xanxus was about to scoff out, only for a ball of orange flames to come his way. The scarlet eyed man leaned down, giving the smoldering part of his chair a casual glance before flicking it back over to the brunet.

"The fuck you think you're playing at trash?" If he wanted to compare guns and power, Xanxus was going to show him what that really meant.

"I'm not playing, Xanxus."

As he stood up, Xanxus couldn't help but laugh, head falling back as he did, and moving just as Tsuna did, if not quicker, he pulled out his own gun and shot at the teen, who ducked down, feeling the heat of the shot against his neck as it exploded above him, "Let's fucking go then."

/ | \

Reborn watched as Tsuna and Xanxus' flame clashed together, a high pitched whine coming from the pair as their flames rubbed up against each other. (Kawahira cringed at the sound of discord, hearing it echo long after the explosion that resulted and sent both fighters back, it was a horrid thing when flames couldn't live amongst one another, it disturbed not only the flame holders, but it seeped out and encouraged chaos to spring up from the world itself.)

It was discord itself that began the end of his people, with humans fighting and going against one another, trying to prove themselves the better flame user than the other (and the most powerful and so on and so forth, when in reality it was the way the person handled their flame in its most delicate state.)

It was unsettling after that, watching Tsuna and Xanxus fight and it was interesting to see how those who were connected to the Skies reacted to the distress that was created.

Squalo was already headed to where the Varia boss was situated, wanting a front row seat of the battle. It was something only Kawahira picked up on as the Varia members slipped up the angrier their Sky got when Tsuna kept dancing around or sending back his own glancing blows. Leviathan had already slipped up and young Lambo (who was accompanied by Hibari, surprisingly) took a cheap shot at the Lightening, returning the power that Leviathan had sent to him like he had the first time they fought.

It was sloppy, the poison long since having been injected into him and as Levi made his way shakily over to the six year old who had collapsed after that last redirection, Hibari swooped in, taking advantage of the older man's shakiness and knocking him out cold.

The crack that followed that hit was sickening to hear, Hibari didn't care as he snagged the ring around the assassin's neck and made his way over to Lambo, joining the kid's piece with that and then pressing it against the little round nitch in the watch they had given the kid.

(Natsume's respect for Hibari rose as the prefect then picked up the already weak child and brought him along to the next area that he was going to haze through, even though it probably wasn't Hibari's own words  _fuck these guys_.)

Mammon had drifted away from his area, dragging Chrome along with him as the girl had already succumbed to the poison that had been injected into her, heading towards where Belphegor was. The Prince was having a pretty fun game of hide and seek with Hayato, who was breathing heavily as he ducked around the classroom he was in, using the desks as coverage from the incoming blades.

Lussuria had been one of the first of the Varia to fall, being forced to fight even though he could barely stand up straight. Ryohei had taken pity on the man at first, but found out the hard way when the man took advantage of his hesitance and nearly knocked him out.

The cut that bloomed and bled freely on his cheek, stung and as Ryohei ducked beneath Lussuria's punches and kicks, who realized he could only wait until the man slowed down or he left himself wide open to attack.

Tsuna's guardians would be fine, Reborn noted as he focused back on his student, who he wanted to kick in that moment ( _Tsuna you idiot move! Don't just stand there and watch as Xanxus comes at you! Do something!_ ) The only thing the arcobaleno could do was watch as the flame on his student's forehead blinked out, could only listen to Xanxus' crow of laughter as the boy finally gave in.

(Kawahira placed both hands on Natsume's shoulders, leaning down and telling her to just watch, his own eyes not straying from the brunet. The white haired man felt the goosebumps rise on his skin at the light pulse that his student's brother's flames were doing.)

The boy seemed to have understood something beyond what any of them could comprehend and it showed his birthright – the intuition to just know and understand a person by just fighting them. A gun shot went off, sounding like a canon as an explosion of red and orange fire charged towards the boy and everyone that was watching could only hold their breath as the fire bore down on Tsuna, hiding his figure from view.

_Part 45: Birthright_

With every glancing blow, with every burn and rejection, Tsuna was understanding Xanxus. Xanxus' flames burned brightly and were hungry to take and destroy. He honestly didn't get  _why,_ but he understood.

As he laid there on the ground, his skin tingling from being so close to such scalding power and trying to hold it quietly, Tsuna breathed. His hands were crossed over his chest, palms facing up, fingers curled tightly into the meaty part of it. He felt as if he could drift off to sleep and he really wanted too, but he couldn't, not yet at least. (For a split second he was kind of happy he had made the split decision to coat himself in his own flames, if not he'd be naked and he'd rather not have to continue on like that, he had enough of that when Reborn made him prance around those few times in his underwear.)

Okay, he needed to focus, he was getting up in his thoughts and that wasn't something he should be doing at all. The sound of gravel crunching beneath someone's feet reached his ears and he assumed Xanxus was approaching him, the sound of clothing rustling as someone bent down and there was something warm being pressed against his forehead.

"Eyes open shit stain," Xanxus ordered and with a deep inhale Tsuna opened his eyes to meet a scarlet gaze that was going to happily burn him alive. The man gave him a sharp, toothy grin, his finger off the trigger of his gun, and Tsuna wouldn't doubt that he could pull that thing as fast as Reborn could. "Should have given up in the first place, wouldn't be dying like a dog."

Tsuna didn't know if it was his heart he could feel beating or it was his flames, "Woof," he said a little shakily opening up his palm and the flames that he had captured earlier released, earning a shout from Xanxus as they bore down on him, not at all caring that he was their originator. They were hungry and ready to burn and destroy; it was what they were created to do.

Eyes blazing a brilliant amber, Tsuna moved, lunging himself at Xanxus, both his palms pressing against the man's chest, snagging at the shining half ring around his neck, which his fingers clenched around while his pointer fingers and thumbs formed a triangle. There was a howl of rage that accompanied what came next, the sound echoing even after Xanxus' body froze in place.

" _How the fuck did you manage this?_ "

Tsuna breathed heavily, stepping back and keeping Xanxus and now Squalo in his view, though he didn't answer the question. How could he just say that there was a whisper that just told him to do that, an old voice that had been guiding him in ways to move and do what he just did.

He wouldn't, because that was craziness to say.

Instead he just kept quiet and watched as Squalo stared in what seemed half-concealed horror, taking in the frozen image of Xanxus, seeing his bosses face frozen, mouth open in mid shout. The Sword Emperor never thought he'd see this again, knew that if he would, it would be all of them and not just the boss falling to this punishment.

A snarl left him as he levelled his sword at Tsuna, who took a step back. Squalo took a step forward, winding up his swing before slashing at Tsuna, " _Voi!_ You're mocking him aren't you trash? Don Vongola told you didn't he?"

"Told me what?" left Tsuna stumbling back, even though the sword didn't come close to hurting him. "Mocking him? How even –  _hie!_ " This time the sword came a little too close for comfort and he moved a couple paces back, seeing as Squalo wasn't going to be moving from the spot he now stood in.

"Stop fucking lying and tell me," Squalo gestured with his good hand to Xanxus' prone form. "Fucking  _Nono_ told you to do this, huh? Old man's always been funny with the way he's treated this asshole."

Tsuna was about to comment that he just called his boss an asshole, but thought better against it (he'd leave the mouthing off to his sister) "I don't know what you're talking about."

" _The Sky Match is over. The Winner is Sawada Tsunayoshi."_

Tsuna watched as Squalo's nostrils flared, the man not moving away even as the pink haired women approached them. He felt relief as soon as he saw Reborn and Dino approaching, Reborn right away hoping up onto his shoulder and lightly patting his shoulder, "You can breathe fine now Tsuna."

He shook his head, biting down on his lower, his eyes straying over to Xanxus and just staring, "No, I want to know what happened and  _why_ it happened."

Reborn didn't bat an eye, though he felt a hint of pride.

The hitman bobbed his head, "Of course Decimo."

/ | \

"Sensei  _how_ did he do that, Tsuna's mentioned that he's been doing stuff, but not  _that_ kind of stuff."

Kawahira had left as soon as it had been called, Natsume following after him knowing that her brother would be in good hands now and that everyone would be fine (bruised and a little slow, but fine nonetheless.)

The man turned suddenly, bending down so that he could be eye level with her and placed both his hands on her shoulders once again, looking her dead in the eye, "Never do that Natsume."

She was taken back, "The ice stuff?"

Her teacher nodded, pulling away from her and straightening up, "A prison of ice that uses your own flames against you," he said, turning around and leading the way back to his shop. "Think of it like a sealing, but you're both physically and mentally bound, you can only see what goes on around you, unable to interact with your surroundings."

"Tsuna doesn't know –"

"Your brother is a budding, yet very powerful Sky," Kawahira interrupted, his hands slipping within his sleeves. "It is not unheard of for such a person to be able to hear the previous voices of their line, nor is it uncommon for the Mother to aid a good child in the right direction."

" _For she gives to those who receive her gifts, especially so to those who give unto her of their free will,"_ Natsume said the last word slowly as she came to the realization. "Oh…oh."

"Hm?"

"I did a small offering the night this all started and Tsuna, well," she floundered a little, gesturing about and he understood without her having to say anything else.

Kawahira paused long enough to turn around and pat his students head, giving the fair haired brunette a wry smile, "What a way to be repaid, don't you think?"

_Intermission 17_

_If it was possible to scream, I would._

_Frozen once a-fucking-gain._

_By a wet behind the ears, unknowing, piece of shit brat._

_Did the old man tell him to do this? I didn't think he'd be right so quick; then again the old man was always full of surprises, coming up with bullshit on the spot._

_What else do I have to lose now?_

_My brothers – even if they weren't by blood, they were my family – are all dead now, the old man might as well just announce to the world that I'm nothing of his, just a random stray he picked off the street from a crazy woman._

_I can't even be considered a bastard._

_If I could laugh I would, but this fucking ice keeps everything still._

_I hate it, I hate it._

_I don't know what I hate more, my mother for having made this all possible, my brothers for dying off on me as they did, the old man or the brat._

_How about all of them?_

… _..What about myself?_

_Shit man, I fucking hate this ice._

/ | \

Two days had passed since, Xanxus and the rest of the Varia were under lockdown in the hospital overseen by a mixture of both Dino's own guards and of Nono's that had been called in. Tsuna was sitting outside Timoteo's room, his elbow resting on the arm rest as his hand cupped his cheek.

The ring rested against his chest, not ready to actually wear one of the first crowning symbols of his future status on his finger. His Guardians followed suit, though he was unsure about Hibari and Lambo (he had a feeling his mother had put away Lambo's ring somewhere safe, while Hibari didn't really seem to care about it.)

Takeshi was already getting up and moving around, had surprised Squalo when the man saw him wondering the floor they were on to find his way down to the kitchens. His friend had very cheekily in a very Natsume like manner, waved his fingers at the long haired man, while winking at him, before getting escorted by a blond man to the kitchens.

Hayato had been off in his own room, having finally finished playing catch up with his homework (and probably getting lectured by Shamal and passing out numerous times from having to be around a very worried Bianchi.)

Ryohei had just moved back into the room he was sharing with Takeshi and Hayato, Kyoko and their parents having stopped by earlier to visit him after his 'sporting' injury.

Chrome had left last night as soon as she had been given the all clear and the medication to make sure the poison didn't have another reaction in her system and had left with those two from Kokuyo before the doctors could begin questioning her about her previous injuries.

Or at least that's what he had overheard.

" _Nono_ is up, he wishes to speak with you Tsunayoshi-kun," Basil spoke, Tsuna looking up at the boy briefly before nodding and getting up. The sandy haired teen led him to  _Nono_ 's room, posture straight, hands behind his back as he glided through the halls, while Tsuna himself found himself making some sort of nice, whether it was the sound of his clothes or his footsteps tapping loudly against the floor.

One of  _Nono's_ own Guardians stood at the door (how said Guardians got here so quick Tsuna didn't know), the older Mafioso nodded, one look dismissing Basil who turned back, while he gestured for Tsuna to go in.

Already in there was Reborn, along with another Guardian, sitting up with a hot drink in his hand was  _Nono_  who gave him a kind smile.

"It is good to see you well my boy," the old man opened up with, taking a sip from his drink before setting it down on the lap tray in front of him. "First and foremost, I would like to thank you for saving my life, it is a debt I don't think I can ever repay –"

"You'll have to thank Natsume, Timoteo- _ossan_ ," Tsuna noted the slight bristling that the Sun Guardian did, almost similar to Hayato when one of his classmates made a comment against Tsuna.

The old Don nodded, raising his cup to his mouth to hide the smile from seeing his Guardian react and how blasé Tsuna was in addressing him ( _wasn't ossan a rude way to address someone? It'd been awhile since he last brushed up on his Japanese._ )

"Such a good sister you have by your side Tsunayoshi, I'll be sure to thank her if I get the chance to see her," here he sighed, taking a slight moment to think over how he was going to address the next major issue. As much as he had given and cared for Xanxus, the boy - no the young man – had always been a sensitive topic.

And now he had almost cost him the last Heir if he had managed to have his way in the skirmishes.

"I honestly do not know what to do, Tsunayoshi, I was hoping you could shed some light on the situation," to know that Xanxus had been incased in ice a second time, though not by him, unsettled Timoteo a little. How did a boy who knew nothing about the Mafia, nor the techniques and powers of his ancestor know how to do a maneuver that even he had barely been able to do?

"How should Xanxus be dealt with?"

Reborn watched his student freeze up, eyes wide at the loaded question that was directed at him. The room was silent, Timoteo going back to idly drinking his tea while he let the young boy find an answer to his question.

"I would like to know why Xanxus has reacted the way he has before I make a decision," Tsuna responded, looking up at Timoteo whose brow rose at what he was asking of him. "There is a reason for everyone's actions," Tsuna paused a little, remembering what his mother once said, "A tsunami does not come in just because, something triggered it."

A short pause and Tsuna locked eyes with the Vongola Don, "So Timoteo- _ossan_ what was Xanxus' trigger?"

* * *

**Author Note:**

Doing an update before school starts, I don't know when I'll be able to do so again. We're at the end of the Varia arc and the next chapter should be just wrapping up what's going to happen and more interactions between the characters.

The Order of Reciprical is kind of lame I guess, so sorry about that. Honestly this story has been testing me on my creativity and how I use different elements (video games, music, books, etc) as inspiration for these children to use in their fire use. We see it more from Natsume, but Tsuna's also done it a few times (the boy plays way too many video games honestly.)

Uhhhh, thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited and followed this story. It makes me really happy to read your comments and I'm sorry if I don't respond sometimes, but I just honestly don't know what else to say other than a big thank you (and many hugs and cookies and all the great things).

Anyways!

Any weird stuff - wording, or if something doesn't fit because of what's happened previously, please let me know! I do try to keep proofread and go back and read the other chapters to make sure everythings moving along and stuff, but I miss things sometimes.

Other than that, hope you all have a great night/day!

_Sorugao_


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or stuff.**

**Word Count:** 8517

* * *

_Intermission 18_

_Xanxus was young when he was brought into my care._

_His mother had been spreading rumors of a child that I had fathered and I was curious as to why such wild tales would be told._

_Upon meeting the boy I saw nothing that would label him as my son; there was no pull to the child as I had with my own children. It wasn't until his mother urged him to show his fire, understanding that I was going to leave him did I realize that he may be more than what he seemed._

_At the tender age of nine he held a flame that others would have scrambled in haste to get._

_I took him in as my own then and there, making sure that his mother would be taken care of for her remaining days. I brought that boy in and I did as best as I could to raise him._

_Being Vongola of course I had other priorities and I could not dedicate the time to nurture Xanxus as I would like. So I did what I had done with my sons, I showed him my ways when I could, the tutors and maids that were assigned to watch him took care of the rest._

_He grew to be brilliant, ruthless and efficient._

_I'm sure you could have guessed that._

_It was around the time I was beginning to show my sons the way of the Vongola Don did the atrocities that led to their deaths happen. I could not blame Xanxus, even though many have mentioned that perhaps he had a hand in that._

_I stand firm that Xanxus would never._

_He was the little brother of them all and they all meshed well together, if anything the boy looked up to them and I'm sure they were one of the reasons why he pushed himself, to be like them. His reaction when I told him that he would be unable to inherit the title of Decimo was subdued for him, but something in him did change that day._

_He was more withdrawn, took great care to watch his steps. He kept a sharp eye on who followed him and was good at losing whoever I sent to keep an eye on him. It wasn't until several months later, after his sixteenth birthday that the reason for his change came to light._

_A coup, Tsunayoshi._

_Xanxus had changed, shown his true colors, his rage and anger for what he called a slight against him. This boy who I had taken in, had watched grow beside my own sons, considered him as one of my own, who I had to tell that he could not be Decimo formed a plot to overthrow me. The following that he gathered for that wasn't anything to scoff at, small in number they were, but they held against Vongola's forces well._

_I couldn't let that stand, I had no choice but to put down the budding rebellion. Yes, it hurt me just as much as it has hurt Xanxus to do what I did, but what other choice did he give me?_

_I did what I thought was best for the situation and for Vongola._

_And I will stand by it._

/ | \

Tsuna got home that night feeling conflicted.

Reborn had stayed behind, while one of Dino's men – Leonardo, he thought was his name, the one that Natsume got along with – brought him home. Now here he was, having long since trudged up the stairs staring at the fish plaque on his door and wondering why exactly he was left with this mess.

There was a thump that came from his sister's room, an apathetic meow, and his sister muttered something back to her cat that he couldn't exactly make sense of.

He shuffled away from his door, knocked on his sister's door, opening it when she made a sound of approval in time to see her tug her arms through her sleeping shirt and pull it down over her back. Her hair was wet, which started spotting the shirt….had it always been that long?

"Want me to brush your hair?" he asked, closing the door behind him, moving over to her bed and taking a seat on it, holding his hand out for Emi to sniff. The cat smelled him, its tongue licking at his knuckles before it got up and moved to the farther side of the bed and curled up into a ball. "Your cat hates me."

"You're the one always saying she's evil," Natsume said, handing him a wooden brush, opening up the bottle she had picked out of one of the drawers of her dresser and lathering her hair up in it. "Be gentle on the tangles."

"Pfft, when aren't I?"

"I've seen you brush your hair Tsuna."

"Hm."

And she sat down, her back to him. He split her hair up in three sections, running his fingers through certain tangles as he did, before starting on the first section he made and began the process of brushing. It was quiet, minus the fact Emi's soft snores and the sound of the brush going through some tangles. Minutes went by and he was almost done with her hair, setting the brush down as he began to braid it, curling the ends around his finger so that it would hold for a while.

"Done."

His sister nodded his head, scooting forward and laying back, her head in his lap as she gazed up at him with an inquiring gaze. She sniffed a little, her right hand coming up and tapping underneath this nose, "What's up?"

He was about to shake his head and say nothing, but then he thought it over, "I was left to decide what to do with Xanxus." His sister's brow furrowed, he placed his hand over it, pushing the skin of her forehead together so that it wrinkled up, she in turn grabbed his wrists and pulled them away, mouth pursed as she levelled him with a stern look.

"Tsuna."

"Timoteo- _ossan_ just might beat out dad for worst father of the year."

"Should you be saying that about the old man?"

Tsuna shrugged his shoulders, "Tsume I'm beginning to think that the Mafia makes for awful fathers." His sister sighed, pushing herself up and sliding back to sit beside him, putting an arm around his shoulders and jostling him lightly.

"Hey –"

"The old man gave me until Sunday to make a decision, I – I honestly don't know what to do," and he let his head rest on her shoulder, exhaling heavily as he came clean to his sister. Seriously what was he supposed to do?

He had been told what Xanxus had been like as a child, how he had always been ambitious and ready to prove himself. That he had taken the deaths of his brother's very personally and after being told that he would not be able to be heir, the young teen (at the time) had stood for it, albeit reluctantly.

Something had happened in the year of the death of the last brother for Xanxus to suddenly decide to stage a Coup and come down on Vongola as he had. Timoteo wasn't telling him, just saying that Xanxus had changed drastically, angry, raging and full of hatred.

A sense told Tsuna that there was more to it and it seemed to be only him that took what the old man was saying with a grain of salt. Then again few would dare openly question and demand the Don for more than what he was giving, he had already stepped the line by questioning Timoteo as he had, and he would have kept pushing but he knew to keep his tongue.

"I feel like there's something missing, from what Timote- _ossan_ says Xanxus just lost it and went on a rampage."

She didn't like Xanxus (which was putting it mildly), but she also didn't like Timoteo. She nibbled on her lower lip as she considered her words, knowing that he was coming to her and no one else, "Have you considered asking the sword guy, with the nice hair?"

"Superbia?"

"Sure why not," she couldn't recall his name at the moment, but she wouldn't doubt that was it.

"He's off limits, I was told not to talk with them."

Natsume snorted, rolling her eyes, "See this is why you need me, because I never listen to shit like that, so here's what you're going to do, you're going to find a way to talk to Superbia because who wouldn't know Xanxus like that guy?"

"How?"

"You know if I didn't care about you so much I would punch you for that dumb question,  _really Tsuna?_ "

Right, right, his sister had shown up with some gnarly stuff the last couple of days, it wouldn't be too farfetched for her to be able to get them to see a guy who was probably under heavy guard. He straightened up; slightly appreciating the devilish smile his sister gave him.

"Just leave it to me, okay?"

/ | \

He had been given a necklace that had a smoky looking crystal hanging off of it. His sister had redressed herself into warmer clothes, before showing him how to sneak out without getting caught.

(Well now he knew how she had been getting out of the house that week.)

They made it to the hospital in less than thirty minutes, Tsuna feeling his nerves begin to get to him because he hadn't actually done anything like sneaking around. His sister squeezed his hand, giving him an encouraging smile and a thumbs up, "We'll be fine."

Indigo flames brushed over him, the sensation feeling odd as something ushered for him to be calm and quiet, to listen and to follow. A warmer, less prickling feeling came next and this was one soothed him, helped him breathe easier, his nerves settling down.

"What floor is everybody on?" she asked him as they made their way in, letting him lead while keeping her focus on hiding them.

"The ninth floor."

"You're kidding right?"

"It's not a joke."

She shook her head, but didn't say anything else after that, the pair making their way up the stairs instead of the elevator. Reaching the ninth floor took a while, but once they made it, they were barely out of breath (a good thing, if not all that exercise that they had been doing would have been for nothing.)

"This way," Tsuna murmured, tugging Natsume's hand and walking by Timoteo's room. The Varia where held a corridor down from where the old man was and it took Natsume sending out some small mist animals to get the room where Squalo was.

The man that stood watch at Squalo's room was Leonardo, the blond familiar to Natsume who was always nice to her and greeted her whenever Dino brought him along. Tsuna stood behind Natsume, watching as his sister stood in front of Leonardo, the man furrowing his brow as he felt as if he was being watched.

" _Listen only this once, you must lose yourself to thoughts that worry you, but you must still stay here and watch over – do you understand your position?_ "

The man cleared his throat, his eyes glazing over, yet still looking as if he was keeping watch.

" _Tell me Leo, is there a guard switch any time soon?_ "

The blond looked down at his watch, shrugging his shoulders, cracking his neck to the side, a sigh leaving him as he murmured, "Fifteen more minutes."

" _Thank you Leo,"_ she stepped around the man, tugging Tsuna along who watched a little amazed at what he had seen happen. "This may feel a little weird Tsuna, but just go with it, okay?"

She placed her hand against the door, a look of concentration on her face, similar to when she had phased through the doors at school to get to Takeshi. With a deep breath she walked through the door, pulling him along.

It was a weird sensation, as if he was passing through goo, but knowing that if anything went wrong his body would be a pincushion of splinters. As soon as they went through it, they were out of it and there was a confused, yet very aggravated looking swordsman staring them down from his bed.

"Before you yell, or do anything attention grabbing, know," Natsume paused placing her hand against the wall and sending out a pulse of indigo fired that lit all walls of the hospital room. "No one will hear you~"

"The fuck do you want?"

Tsuna stepped forward, his sister ignoring the silver haired man and leaning against the door, "What happened to Xanxus."

Squalo stared, both brows rising before sneering at them, "The fuck do you care?" Really the little shit shouldn't be bothering asking around about the Boss, there was no point, they were all fucked, what good would him knowing about Xanxus' help them?

They lost their chance and now they had to wait for their punishment.

Tsuna frowned, "Look I don't like any of you," Natsume made a sound at that, Tsuna ignored her. "But I'm not being told the whole story and I'd rather know what the hell has happened before I stick my foot out and step on a crappy situation."

The swordsman continued to stare intently at the two teens, mostly focused on the Decimo brat, before shaking his head, "Don't know why it fucking matters to you, it doesn't matter anymore does it? We're all fucked."

"That really depends."

"Depends on what shit stain?"

Tsuna gave the man close lipped smile, eyes closing as he did so, "What I decide," and he moved forward, taking a seat at the lone chair beside Squalo's bed. "So Squalo-san, what was Xanxus' grudge, what led him to stage a coup?"

_Intermission 19_

_I didn't fucking know._

_I just knew Xanxus was the man to follow, he rose above the others, had proved himself, and walked with a gait that just demanded that he be looked at. He was a suave motherfucker, rarely letting what others said get to him._

_The one and only time it got to that asshole, it was when Don Vongola had taken him aside after Federico's funeral. I don't know what happened in that meeting, but Xanxus came out different, more subdued. The days that followed it Xanxus was rarely seen; don't know what the hell he was doing – if he was trying to figure out his brother's killers or what._

_It wasn't til months later that he came up to me and asked for my help._

_Fucker actually_ asked  _for my help._

_At sixteen he was planning something dangerous, that he kept mum over. I respected him, I followed him even though he wasn't saying much of what was going on._

_Let me guess, Don Vongola glossed over the whole Cradle Affair?_

_Only told you he had to as he did, because he had no choice, 'lest Vongola be torn apart?'_

_That old man, seems so nice doesn't he? Appears like a caring grandfather, but is able to spin everything his way. There's a reason he's led Vongola for so long, I fucking recommend not falling for the act._

_Xanxus found one of his books, the old Don likes to write, usually keeps shit hidden, but when Xanxus wants something he finds a way to get it._

_Something in the book pissed him off though, right over the edge._

_Don Vongola can't be honest with anyone, couldn't be upfront with Xanxus and tell him why he couldn't lead Vongola. Old man just let the Boss believe he had a chance, that he was actual blood and related to him. You want to know why you were chosen over Xanxus, why you were pulled out of your fucking carefree life and given that shit hanging around your neck?_

_Blood._

_This whole Vongola Boss comes down to blood and your ass just so happens to be able to actually inherit. Doesn't matter if you're capable of leading or not._

_Fucking Xanxus is an adopted bastard that Nono took in only because of what he was capable of at a young age, the old man never bothered rectifying the situation or correcting anything that Xanxus could have assumed._

_He just let the Boss think that he had a chance and the Boss proved himself to the old man time and time again, that he would be able to lead the Vongola if the time ever came._

_And when the time comes the Boss is told, "No you can't."_

_No reason._

_No nothing._

_Of course Xanxus fucking lost it, trained or not he was sixteen. How would he not get pissed? How would he not want to get back at the fuck that led him along all his life? He even got supporters for this cause, to overturn Vongola to fucking change it._

_He was put on ice, literally after a fight broke out between him and his supposed old man and now all those supporters are fucking gone or in hiding, unless Don Vongola finds them and takes them out for good._

_Ha, you okay shit stain?_

_Surprised?_

_Part 46: He Decides_

"Tsuna we have to get going."

Squalo gave them a sharp grin as the girl ushered the brunet up and led him out. Whatever the girl had put up fell away, he could hear what was going on outside now, the pacing of his guard, the words of another before his door opened and he was checked on.

"The fuck do you think I'm going?"

Ballsy, he gave them that.

Fucking kids, yeah, but there was already a difference to what he thought they were and how they really were. Didn't mean he liked them, but he could give them a little respect.

If his Boss wasn't such a ball of fucking ice at the current moment, he'd probably laugh at the idea that someone was getting around Timoteo and actually getting away with it.

_Ballsy fucking brats._

/ | \

"Why do I get the feeling we're all being played by an old man?"

"Because he's the one whose been pulling the strings and calling the shots?"

"I used to think he was so nice."

"He probably is, but  _y'know…._ Mafia boss."

The chains of the swing made a light screeching sound as Tsuna pushed himself , Natsume who sat on the other one beside them sat idle just watching her brother. She was still shaking, having had a close call with the changing guard and barely managing to get around a shaggy haired doctor who had felt the disturbance that was them.

Tsuna sighed, digging his feet into the ground and kicking up some of the wooden chips, feeling a few get into his shoes, "This sucks."

"I mean it also sucks to just watch all this happen without being able to do anything, but I'm sure it sucks a lot more when you're at the center of it all."

Tsuna narrowed his eyes at his sister, quietly judging her bland tone, "Are you really going to bring that up now?"

"No, I'm…just stressed and being an ass. Sorry."

The younger twin sucked in a breath, "Tsume your game is tomorrow, you should be resting not here."

His sister shrugged, lightly swinging herself, "I'll manage Tsuna."

"No, come on, let's go home –"

"Tsunayoshi," his sister said, not budging from her seat on the swing. "I'll manage, don't worry yourself." She sighed, lacing her fingers together before pulling one hands fingers back and cracking them and doing the same to the other.

"I shouldn't have, you have so much better –"

"Don't start that," Natsume cut him off, getting off the swing and putting an arm around her brother's shoulder, effortlessly putting him in a headlock. "Seriously, don't. I want to help; I'm always here to help, okay?"

She didn't say anything about his sniffling, or the watery hiccups that left him. It didn't matter how many times she would have to say it, Tsuna would probably always try to bring it up and get her to back away on her own.

They stayed there for a while after that, the pair eventually ending up on the floor, Natsume leaning against one of the thicker poles that held up the swing set, Tsuna sitting beside her.

"….thank you Tsume."

The girl smiled, humming lightly, running her fingers through his hair.

"Always Tsuna."

/ | \

Even though she only got a couple hours of sleep last night, she woke up feeling much more refreshed than usual.

"Morning sunshine," Reborn's voice was the first thing she heard and she groaned, turning away from the baby hitman and hiding her face beneath the pillow she had been using.

" _No_."

" _Yes,_  go get ready for school."

She may feel refreshed, that didn't mean she wanted to go to school. She couldn't wait until the start of next year, Saturday classes wouldn't be a thing anymore. She only had a few more months to deal with that though and then the weekends were free.

" _Kay_ ," she managed out sleepily as she sat up, blinking slowly and taking in the brightness of the room. She wondered how her brother managed to sleep through the brightness flowing in; he had never been one to close the blinds in his room. "See ya in a bit," she said to Reborn as she got out of bed and made her way out of the room towards hers.

The tiny hitman gave a brief nod, turning to the still slumbering teen that had once again taken up most of the bed. How Natsume put up with sleeping on a tiny part of the bed, he didn't know, then again the girl could probably sleep anywhere if tired enough.

"Time to wake up buttercup," he said, Leon morphing into an alarm clock and setting him down right beside Tsuna's ear, before it went off, making the teen shoot up, hands covering his ears as he looked around in alarm.

"What the heck?"

"The heck is right, you have school, Tsuna."

"Okay, okay, just shut that off please!"

Leon changed back, flicking his tongue out at the teen. Said teen only shook his head about to move off his bed and get his morning going, " _Nono_ will understand if you aren't ready to make a decision like this."

Tsuna gave Reborn a blank look, though he only raised his shoulders in response, his own way of showing that he acknowledged what Reborn had said. Reborn watched the teen look through his closet for his other uniform shirt, picking up his pants from off the post at the foot of his bed and heading toward the bathroom to change.

Lightly pursing his lips, Reborn ambled off the bed and headed downstairs, where he joined Nana and Bianchi for a cup of coffee. A light roast coffee was what Nana preferred whenever she made the caffeinated beverage, though she was always nice enough to make a separate pot for him that was a lot stronger.

"Thank you Nana."

"Morning to you too Reborn," the woman greeted, pulling apart a piece of croissant bread and dipping it into her coffee. Her hair was tied back, her hair now past her shoulders and she didn't seem to be keen on cutting it any time soon. "It….feels as if almost everything has calmed down."

The hitman only stayed staring at the brunette, nodding slowly even though she didn't see it, "Almost."

" _In time all will be well, it is the only thing that we can really count to help us through these times,"_ Nana murmured, stirring her drink with the end of her the croissant.

" _Mama_ did you talk with  _tutu_ today?"

"Only to wish her goodnight," Nana answered her eldest, who had grabbed the chair at the head of the table and moved it towards the corner so that she sat beside her mother. "Want some coffee?"

"Can I take a sip of yours, my stomach's feeling funky."

The woman only gestured for Natsume to get some, the girl grabbing the woman's cup and drinking a little, her nose wrinkling lightly, "A little more sugar," she said teasingly, her tongue lightly sticking out as Nana rolled her eyes at her.

"You are coming to the game tonight right?" Natsume asked as she righted the chair, leaning on it and giving Nana a hopeful look.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, sweetheart~"

There was a light beeping sound, Natsume cursing as she moved away, stopping long enough to place a kiss against Nana's cheek, "I'll see you all later then!"

" _Oi, oi, you're leaving?"_

" _You're taking too long, I have to go, but I'll see you at lunch,"_ Natsume called over her shoulder as she closed the door. Which was opened again a couple seconds later, " _Bring me something to eat yeah Tsuna?"_

The young brunet rolled his eyes, "Sure, sure," and his sister was out, the front gate closing loudly announcing that she had left the house entirely. The brunet ended up doing taking the seat Natsume had left out beside his mother, who offered him a piece of her croissant, which he took a piece of and grabbed another whole one for himself.

Nana hummed, slightly amused, but feeling warmed at the idea that even though chaos was taking place in her home, at least somethings never changed.

(Reborn wouldn't say anything out loud, but he could definitely agree with that.)

/ | \

The half day at school went as well as it could have, Tsuna turned in his missing work, took a few quizzes that his sensei's had lined up for him to see that he really was keeping up on his own work and not just copying off of others.

(And may or may not have been planning with Natsume over lunch on how to handle Timoteo. His sister had surprisingly sided with giving Xanxus a chance, compared to going along with whatever Timoteo had in store for the Varia.

Even if the guy was a huge asshole.)

" _You should have been placed in the third year class for English,_ " Kim-sensei told him, the short curly haired woman giving his short written responses a look over before writing his score at the top of his paper.

" _Do you think so?"_

" _It would have saved you from having to go through all these steps, Sawada-kun_ ," she answered showing him his score before she put the paper away in her folder. " _Though I would still like to be able to set up that conference with your mother, Sawada-kun._ "

Tsuna blinked, shouldering his backpack as he stared at his teacher – who was only supposed to have been here one year, but had added another year to her contract. He heard slight rumors about the previous English teacher and how Kim-sensei was not only much nicer, but taught a lot better.

Maybe it was her youth or her upbringing in the States that made everyone curious over her and that made them pay attention, or she was just a really good teacher.

Probably a bit of both.

"Eh? Are my grades slipping that bad sensei?" he fell back on Japanese, a little worried because there was no way that Reborn would let that slide, even  _if_ he had been missing out on school.

The woman shook her head, "No, it's nothing to worry about," she smiled at him, hoping to soothe his worry. "Really, Sawada-kun, if anything I would just like her to be informed on how well you're doing even though you have been out of school recently."

Tsuna scratched the side of his cheek, a sheepish smile, "Oh, ha, yeah my sister and I recently got a tutor, I think that may be it."

Kim-sensei made a soft ' _oh'_ sound, "Well whoever your tutor is they are doing a great job at keeping you on track."

"I'm sure they would appreciate the compliment."

"I hope they do, well, that was all Sawada-kun, and have a good rest of your weekend."

"You too sensei."

He left the classroom, not at all surprised that Natsume and Hana were outside waiting for him. If he felt a shiver at the smile Hana gave him, Tsuna would never say anything, but he did feel a bit wary.

"You okay Tsuna?"

"Yeah…"

His sister nodded, patting him on the shoulder, not really believing him, but letting it slide for now. "Alright then, well I'm about to head off towards the gym, you still have that juice box?" He nodded, bringing his bag so that it rested against his front and pulled out a squished looking orange box, which he held out to his sister.

Natsume took it, beginning to walk away and holding up the peace sign in farewell, "See you guys~"

"I'll try to be there," Hana called after the fair haired brunette who said something, but they really couldn't understand it. The dark haired girl shook her head, crossing her arms against her chest before turning to Tsuna and giving him a very wooden smile, "So, Tsuna, what have you been up too?"

_Oh,_ yeah Hana's scary when she's mad.

With a quiet 'hie', Tsuna said a rushed "I'll talk to you later Hana!" and headed out. He wasn't running away from the girl, he was just saving that conversation for a later date.

Like Monday.

_If_ he was lucky.

_Part 47: Deal With It_

Timoteo wasn't sure if he was hearing right.

"Forgive me Tsunayoshi, I think I may –"

"No, Don Vongola, you did not," Tsuna interrupted, knowing the boy probably knew that he was once again pushing his limits. ( _Federico had done that to him, Xanxus had as well at one point…_ ) The boy's politeness would hold through, just as much as his own would. "I realize that Xanxus' has caused a lot of damage and that he should be held accountable and he will be, but certain punishments should be in place of others."

"In place of what?"

"The ice prison he's currently in," the boy brought up, Timoteo could tell that the boy just knew that it wasn't the first time Xanxus had been in that state. "I'm sure there are better ways to make sure that someone stays where they are supposed to – in this case it would be making sure that Xanxus works and does the duties of what is asked of him as head of Varia," Tsuna said, his voice not at all giving away his nerves which he was glad for. "Along with trying to salvage whatever relationship you two previously had, seeing as most of it  _was_ in retaliation to your decisions."

Tsuna breathed slightly, a little irked that his nerves were showing through in the way he kept fidgeting with his fingers, which kept lightly rubbing the edges of the arms of his chair. "For the next five years he will be under observation from an unbiased party, along with making sure that his mental state is well after being imprisoned as he was for the last eight years." And that gave away that the boy knew a lot more than what Timoteo had told him, making the old Don wonder when the fifteen year old got the chance to talk to someone other than him about this situation.

"Some good points you make, Tsunayoshi, how did you come to these conclusions?"

The boy only smiled, one that suggested that he was humoring him, but Timoteo knew the boy wasn't like that, "I had a little help," was all the boy offered. There was a knock on the door, which was good timing, Timoteo needed to think over what the boy was suggesting and if he would be willing to actually let it go through.

He hadn't thought that Tsunayoshi would be willing to pardon Xanxus of all things, if anything he had expected that the boy would want to get back at him for putting him through the trials of the last couple days.

Tsunayoshi was led out of his room, the door closing behind him after his Sun Guardian walked in with a plate of food for him. The lunch tray was settled in his lap, giving his food a quick glance over before looking at Reborn, "I didn't expect that from the boy."

"I have been teaching him, though I'm surprised it stuck so well," their lessons had gone over well, but Tsuna had never been in the situation to actually use them. This was a first and it honestly felt like Natsume had a helping hand in this.

"He is too hopeful; someone like Xanxus cannot just be treated like that and if he is let loose it will not look good for him. He needs to be harsher, have more edge, if not I'm afraid this world will devour him whole."

"…a chance, Timoteo," Reborn spoke after a while. "Let the boy speak with Xanxus."

"How, the ice won't be undone unless it's by the flame that did it."

"More of a reason to let him try."

"Do you have such confidence in him?"

Timoteo ate as if he wasn't having the current conversation, setting his fork down after a couple bites and once again looking at Reborn, "I take your silence as a no," He said, lightly wiping his lips with his napkin. "If anything the youngest of my sons is not qualified for the Varia position and will be handed over to –"

"Don't take my silence as you will, old friend," the old Don wasn't fazed by his friend's tone, though the shadow that stretched behind him was a cause for concern. "Again, all I ask is for a chance, if it fails do as you wish."

Timoteo picked up his fork again, his gaze lingering on the hitman before going back to his food, "Of course, I did give the boy the right to make a decision." The sound of the fork scraping against the plate and his own tone showed that the conversation was over. "I place my trust in you, dear friend, if the boy doesn't succeed Xanxus and the rest of the Varia will be dealt with more appropriately."

/ | \

A buzzer signaled the beginning of the game and Tsuna watched as Nami-chuu's team moved for the incoming serve of the opposing team. Natsume was placed in the middle of the second row and he had heard her explaining to the others how the positions and game went, though it usually went over his head, not understanding it unless he was actually doing it.

He stayed by the exit, arms crossed against his chest, felt himself zoning out, the noise around him becoming muffled, only zeroing in when the cheers got loud on his side of the court. His eyes roved over the crowd in those moments, spotting his mother, Bianchi, Hana and the kids. A half smile curled his mouth as he watched his mother – who was so vibrant and loud in this moment, cheering for his sister.

A whistle was blown and his attention was brought back to the court and for a split second his gaze caught Natsume's. He was thinking it was coincidence as she didn't seem to recognize him from a distance as she moved over for the rotation.

She was always in motion, eyes on the ball and seeming completely aware of her teammates movements. The ball headed in her direction and she propped it up, pushing it forward to the blond in the middle front row who in turn smacked it over the net, aiming for the space that had been made between the front row players of the other team.

His watched beeped, making him bite his lip at what that meant for him.

He wondered if what he and Natsume had come up with during lunch would actually happen. For someone who was usually rather pissy about him being hurt or in fights and holding grudges against bullies, she had been more than willing to set that aside and give Xanxus a chance.

His gut told him to trust his sister, to trust his own instinct.

Sure nothing had been in favor for Xanxus, in the end it would always be against him no matter how hard he tried to change it. The man still had no right to react as he did, though Tsuna was more than nice enough to shift a bit of that blame on Timoteo who probably hadn't handled Xanxus' situation well.

( _For a moment he was kind of happy that he had Iemitsu for a father, the man when he was able too, was more than willing to help him…..he was still a shitty dad though.)_

The buzzer rang, signaling the end of the first game and Tsuna shuffled out, knowing he had wasted more time than he should have.

Time to get his head in the state to deal with a hot mess (Natsume's words not his), if not he would hate to find out what Timoteo's method would be.

/ | \

The game had been so close, but Midori still won.

As they shook hands with the other team, Natsume couldn't help but think that it was a good game and she told the other team as much, congratulating on their playing and their win. The Nami-chuu team huddled together in a circle, arms over each other's shoulders as they put their heads together.

"That was a tough game," Hayashi sighed, "They're really something."

"They're considered one of the top teams for a reason and we made them work for it," Kato said, having heard the brunette girl's quiet words. The purple haired teen gave them a tired smile, but a proud one none the less. "I'm proud of you all."

Mirai nodded with the captain's words, bleached blond hair pushed back and out of her face, gave them a smile that wrinkled the girl's nose, "Same here, you girls really put in the work to play like you did today."

Someone clearing their throat got them all to look up at their sensei, "Harada-sensei!"

"Good game girls," the short haired man said, "If you play like that in the next games you'll definitely get some wins."

"Mou~ but this was the qualifying game to go on to the next level."

"So take it as gaining experience, learn from it," Harada said, "That by far was the best game I've seen this team play."

"Definitely," Mirai agreed under her breath, earning a playful shove from Kato. "Alright I think we all want to get cleaned up and crash in our beds, so we can talk more on Monday, right Harada-sensei?"

"Bring your appetites," the man said giving them a two fingered salute. "I'll see you all Tuesday."

Watanabe made a popping sound with her mouth, "Oh, he must be happy if he's doing what I hope he's doing."

"Which is?"

"Food~" the lone red head of the team, Takahashi lightly shoved Watanabe, who bit down on her tongue to keep from laughing out loud. The team got to talking after that as they headed to the locker room, either talking about how they had played or what food Harada would be buying them the following week. Along with if they should plan a hangout soon, since they all surprisingly got along fine.

"See you," Natsume waved at everyone, getting goodbye's in turn along with a light hearted smack to the shoulder from Mirai. "Text me if you guys end up doing anything else."

"Sweetie I'm so proud of you!" Nana swept her up in a hug as soon as she stepped out of the gym, " _You reminded me of my own volleyball days and oh, I swear if the family was here they woulda shook up the whole place with their cheering._ "

Natsume felt as if something caught in her throat at that thought, but she swallowed it down, instead nodding and smiling just as brightly as her mother, "You think so?" Her mother nodded, pulling away and just looked up at her daughter.

My, my how she had grown. Nana remembered when Natsume and Tsunayoshi had started middle school they had been her height and now they were taller than her.

"How about some ice cream?" Hana's voice popped up and the way her daughter just seemed to shine at seeing her friend there, made Nana's heart happy. She had always wanted her children to thrive and it had taken time, but to see them actually grow and be more than what they had once been….it really warmed her.

But what had been the price for them to be this way?

"Ice cream sounds great," Natsume linked her arms with hers and tugged Hana along, who only rolled her eyes.

Perhaps the price paid wasn't as steep as it seemed. If anything, she believed it possible for her children to turn it around, if not, well, she knew a few people who would be more than willing to lend a hand in doing so.

/ | \

When the ice first began to feel less restricting, Xanxus' first thought was that it felt a lot better when the ice was melted willingly. His scars tinged a little at the reminder and how volatile the first melting had been.

This was, and he would never admit it, therapeutic. It wasn't like Timoteo's flames that had enveloped him, which had been just as angry as his, and he loathed admitting, heartbroken, but the man had done what he had and because of it, it scarred him for the rest of his life.

Not that it mattered; the scars were just an example of what he's survived, something he prided himself on was being a tough motherfucker that was hard to put down.

He knew who it was that was undoing the frozen flames, didn't know if he should feel disgusted that the brat was soft hearted enough as to undo the ice. When the ice fully melted and he felt as if he had full control of his body, the first thing it did was give in on him. He was caught by one of the old man's guard dogs and placed in a chair.

No restraints or anything to assure to keep him down.

Xanxus glared, lip curling up in a sneer as he watched the brunet usher the man away, "The fuck you think you're playing at?"

The brunet before him only blinked, head tilting slightly as if thinking over his question. The door closed behind the guard and he finally spoke, "I'm not playing at anything; I'm just here to offer you a deal."

"I –" it felt as if he was choking on his tongue and he nearly gagged at the sensation. He refrained from reaching to rub his throat, only glaring even more darkly at the kid, who didn't smile, just kept staring straight at him.

"Calm,  _you_  are not calm, when you act up you will lose your right to control yourself," the boy said, voice a touch lower than before, calling to him and making him listen. "You can accept my deal or you can die, along with the rest of your people."

Xanxus' nostrils flared, the fingers in his left hand twitching, "Why should I accept anything from you?"

This time the boy smiled, though it was a bit hollow, not like the pictures that had been gathered, his brown eyes were tinged gold, "The same reason I decided on this," he paused for a bit, pursing his lips a little as if thinking over what he was about to say. "Change."

"What the fuck do you think you're going to change?"

Tsuna rose a brow, pulling his legs up and sitting crisscross on his chair, resting his arm against the arm rest and holding his chin up with his hand, "There's a lot of things that can change, you just have to give it a chance, which is what I'm giving you." He bit down on his lower lip, tearing a bit of skin off from his lip, "I don't like the Mafia and I have little to no respect for Vongola as it is."

Xanxus held back from snarling at the brat, wondering then why the hell the fuck had he even fought for if he didn't care about it.

"I want to change it, I want it to stand for more than it does," Tsuna smiled again, looking a touch too innocent. "And by that I have to start with you, I want to prove that I can make a difference, that there is another way."

This time the brat's eyes were a pure amber, the room filling up with a lightness that would have left a lesser man breathless, "So what will it be?"

Xanxus stared awhile before he started laughing, head thrown back as he did so, "You fucking got balls," his grin was toothy, eyes bright with some emotion that Tsuna couldn't quite place. "This'll just piss off the old man, so why not."

Tsuna's eyes crinkled shut as he nodded.

"These are your terms then…."

_Part 48: A Second of Peace_

Iemitsu rubbed his hands down on his face, elbows propped against the top of his desk. For a second he just sat there, face in his hands, deciding to let the darkness that enveloped him for the moment, the slight sting of pain that came from his temple when his fingers brushed against the cuts there took his thoughts away from the current moment.

He inhaled deeply and quickly exhaled it all, pulling one hand away from his face, while the other dug through his already mused up hair. His right hand reached over for the paper on his desk, it would be the third time he'd have read it, but he still couldn't get over what was happening.

Apparently Tsuna's decision to forgive Xanxus rather than to make him face whatever revenge he could have conjured would be considered soft hearted by many. But Iemitsu knew the ways his children had been raised that no matter how terribly someone had done, they should never take revenge.

If anything they'd forgive, but getting them to trust you again would be like pulling teeth from a pissed off lion and knowing their tendencies, they could be the most passive aggressive little snits when they wanted to be.

(Just like Tsuna had been acting towards him, it was a slow burn and it was one that if he didn't try fixing soon enough, would leave him to watching Tsuna's back for the rest of his life.)

Xanxus was being forgiven to a certain extent, along with the rest of his group. He was going to be left in charge of the position he had taken from Superbia, but he would be watched for the next five years on how he was handling his position and if he could eventually be trusted once again.

If Xanxus went along with the little that was being asked of him, he would not only get away with what equated to a slap on the wrist, but he'd be in a position where Tsuna himself would be able to trust the man and come to him for advice, if only because he at least gave it a chance.

Which kind of clashed with the impression Tsuna gave off, the boy had been pissed the entire time, but held onto it tightly before he showed that he was. Perhaps actually fighting against Xanxus had eased some of that?

He was a boy and boys did tend to get rowdy to get rid of pent up frustration or energy.

Maybe if he could plan a trip back home soon, he'd ask his son for a spar, both to see how far he's come and to feel how he fought.

Wasn't there an old saying that said 'You never know a man until you've exchanged blows with him'?

"Get your head out of the clouds; we have to finish this clean up before Nono gets back."

"Lal Mirch," Iemitsu greeted, folding over the top right corner of the paper. "Let me take a short mental break, I've had a long week."

The arcobaleno scoffed, pushing up her googles and levelling him with glare, "You have ten minutes Iemitsu."

"Thank you, you're such an angel," he deadpanned, shifting his left hand so that his chin rested in his palm.

"Make that five."

With that said she went back out, not seeing Iemitsu rolling his eyes, and luckily enough she wasn't Reborn to pick up on his thoughts.

' _Slave driver, I can see why she was a trainer for COMSUBIN.'_

Not one to look five minutes of a peaceful break without any interruptions, Iemitsu leaned back in his chair, kicked his feet up on his desk and decided that a quick cat nap wouldn't do any harm. Now if he misjudged that time, he may or may not come to harm.

Lal may look like a pint sized toddler, but she did pack quite the punch.

Thoughts of what to ask Basil when he returned, the situation with Xanxus, and the rest of his duties were cast aside as he began to recall a time of what had once truly been peace for him. Of when Tomiko-baasan was still alive, holding his hand as they walked to the markets or the quiet dinners they used to have.

He lost himself in his memories, of when he had met Nana, holding his children for the first time and how it felt as if his world had come to a halt when those pair of baby blue eyes looked at him.

When the five minutes were up, Iemitsu opened his eyes, a strict no nonsense air about him as he stood up from his desk, slipping the papers into a folder and taking it with him as he left his office. He handed the folder off to Oregano who happened to be passing by and without a word he headed down to the lower levels of the building.

Pressing his thumb against the indicator, he gave it a brief flare of his flames, the machine beeping in confirmation, the door sliding open. He caught his reflection in the window pane he came to stand before, his eyes cold and narrowed as he stared at the person held in the room.

(Would his children look at someone like this one day? Would they be capable of dealing with traitors like this? Tsuna would learn to broaden his terms, he may have spared Xanxus and perhaps the rest of the Varia, but those like the Del Valle man, who had impersonated Nono, would be dealt with much more permanently.)

Cruelty never outdid cruelty, but it was never amiss in this life.

Some just paid for it worse than others did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So since I'm going based off of what I remember (which is how Jasmine has been working this whole time) a lot is very different here.
> 
> I also apologize if I messed up on the volleyball scene, I looked into it and read about it, but since I'm a very hands on learner, I don't really get it? But yeah. Uh, Tsuna knows that Xanxus is adopted by being told by Timoteo, so he doesn't understand that Xanxus didn't know. Which is why they talked to Squalo and found out through him.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or stuff.**

**Word Count:** 7686

* * *

_Part 49: Questioning Decisions_

"Did you really Tsuna?" Takeshi asked the brunet, who had come into his room a while ago looking very jittery and anxious and now looked exhausted after pretty much dumping out everything that had happened that day.

Tsuna slouched back in his chair, his head resting back against the top part of it, "I don't forgive him at all for what he did," he said, not bothering to sit up properly. He stared at a spot in the ceiling, more than a little dazed that it actually worked. He had expected more of a fight from Xanxus, and had been more than ready for it.

Everything had panned out fine, if anything Xanxus was getting a kick out of it because he knew it was something that  _Nono_ would have  _never_ done.

"I'm pissed that this happened to all of us, that because of me you all were put in danger," he licked his lips as he paused, "And it absolutely sucks, I can't do anything about it because pretty much to everyone else it's been decided, if anything is going to come from this why not something different?"

He sat up, leaning a little forward and holding Takeshi's gaze, "Why should I have to listen and follow to what the other's before me did? If I'm going to do this, it's going to be my way; it's going to be a revolution and it _will_   _change_ if not Gods help me…" he trailed off not really knowing what to say, because his point had been made.

Takeshi nodded and Tsuna noted that the usual ease and lightness that came from his friend wasn't there; the dark haired teen was stern, eyes narrowed and the utmost seriousness he held himself up with, it made him actually see what changes were taking place in his friends.

It was kind of intimidating; Takeshi rarely got this serious, not even over baseball (at least recently he hadn't, before…well…it had maybe been on that level.) So it was kind of surprising to see him reach for the ring that hung around his neck and slide it on halfway to his pointer finger without much thought, "Good thing you won't be doing it alone."

Tsuna found himself between saying that was the last thing he wanted from him to pointing out the obvious that he highly doubted Takeshi (or anyone else) would let him tackle anything like this on his own.

Instead Tsuna smiled, bowing his head towards his friend, "Thank you Takeshi."

Takeshi smiled back, his expression softening as he did so, thinking of all that his friend had been there for. Tsuna may not know it, but Takeshi was glad he got to know the brunet, who knows what would have happened to him under all the expectations that everyone at school put on him.

( _No Tsuna….thank you_.)

/ | \

' _Ay, Zack you need to be more careful,'_ his mother was chastising someone over the phone,  _'Ya, just cause you big and can scare 'em away, doesn't mean you should. Remember cousin you getting old – '_ Nana waved at him as Tsuna made his way to the table, pressing a kiss against his mother's temple in greeting before heading into the kitchen to find something to eat.  _'Cousin you are in charge, get someone else to do it.'_

His mother sighed in fond exasperation; he could picture her running her hand through her hair as she shook her head,  _'Fine, right, please hand the phone back to my mother. Yes….I won't be a stranger, but you lot have to answer the phone as well.'_

The conversation was familiar, Uncle Zack looking for advice from his mom and instead ended up getting nagged because he did have a habit of pushing himself and trying to do things himself instead of getting help outside of his group.

His thoughts went between his mother's conversation and if he should eat the left over roast pork that she had made yesterday, but he wasn't in the mood for that. Tsuna pursed his lips, before taking out two eggs and the piece of spam that had been put in a plastic zip lock bag before closing the fridge behind him.

" _Tell tutu I say hi mama,"_ he called out to his mother as he opened up the oven and took out a frying pan. He heard her pass on his greeting, his mother chuckling to whatever his grandmother responded with before bidding her goodbye.

He had already cut the spam into pieces when his mother walked in, setting the phone back in its holder before crossing her arms beneath her chest and resting her hip against the counter, "What are you making us tonight, Tsu-kun?"

Tsuna couldn't help but pout at his mother who just smiled, shaking her head as her shoulders shook quietly with her mirth, "Ara, my own son doesn't want to share with me?"

" _Mama…._ you know I always do."

He missed the tender smile those words brought to her face, "I'm teasing Tsu-kun." This time her chuckles were louder, "If you stick your lower lip out any more, we can perch a bird there." His response was to stick his tongue out at her, finally cracking the two eggs over the spam and mixing them.

Nana moved from her spot, noting that Tsuna and her were still of similar height and easily putting her arms around his shoulders, " _Mama_ ," he whispered quietly, "Do you think I can do this?"

Her arms slid away from his shoulders and were at her side. She refused to fidget with the frills of her apron, instead she breathed in deeply and sighed heavily, "I think, Tsunayoshi, that you are capable of doing whatever you set your mind too."

"Just remember you are not alone, you never have to do anything alone, okay?"

"…. _thank you_   _Mama."_

She ruffled his hair, smiling softly at him as she turned to give him some privacy. Tsuna had a tendency of doubting himself over decisions and situations that made him uncomfortable. If anything what he had gone through this entire week had not only pushed him out of his comfort zone, but into a position he had never been in.

So if he sought confirmation that it was okay what he was doing, that he was pursuing this, she would give it to him and help him as much as she could.

"How about some toast, hm?"

_Part 50: We move on_

Natsume had left early Sunday morning.

Bianchi had been up, but the magenta haired woman merely waved at her as she left, her special drink and breakfast that she made for herself smelling both delicious and not. The poison mistress had gotten better at her creations, able to cook without actually changing her food or at least it was edible when she cooked alongside her mother.

On her own Bianchi was able to delay the effects of her food or gave a mild case of food poisoning.

She considered asking Bianchi if she could help her with building up her immunity and knew the woman would help her, but Natsume was sure that just like Hayato if given the chance, she would go overboard.

Closing the gate behind her, she went right, following the familiar roads towards the markets, but taking the one street that led out of Namimori. It was a thirty minute walk, one that included her getting caught up in her thoughts and being not as awake as she would like to be, she had almost crossed the street and became roadkill.

Well not exactly roadkill, but it would have definitely hurt to get hit by the incoming car.

Being a little more alert after that, Natsume continued on heading towards a place she hadn't thought she'd be visiting again. Kokuyo Land used to be a pretty place, the amusement park not exactly on par with others, but it had been a place she had visited when she was younger, before the earthquake and landslide that occurred wrecked it.

The front gates were barely held together with a chain and lock; useless seeing as a few bars to the gate had been broken from the bottom and bent inwards. The last time she had been here she had been focused on finding out who exactly was here and making sure that Fuuta would be safe, now she had more time to take in exactly how different Kokuyo Land was.

Natsume knew where she had to go, decided to take the long way around before deciding to pop up uninvited on the three she assumed were here. She remembered that the path winding through the park used to be a brilliant red and now it was a washed out, rusty looking color with pieces missing. There had once been kiddie rides in this part of the park, along with a little water area by the places steeped off and had little holes poking through the floor to shoot out water.

They hadn't even given the park a chance to be reconstructed, straight up abandoning it and leaving it until someone else bought out the land and was willing to put in the work to fix.

She veered off to the left when the path split up into three, heading towards the theatre, which compared to the rest of the park withstood a lot. Sure the windows of the building were broken, but not all of them and again it looked like the sturdiest building (and it was seeing as she had been in there herself).

"What are you doing here?"

The beanie wearing teen with the odd cheek tattoo was outside of the theatre, hands in his uniforms pockets. His stance was loose, but he had that yo-yo thing going on so she wouldn't doubt that he was ready to fight at a moment's notice if he had too.

"I'm here to see Chrome."

"The other Vongola hasn't bothered –"

"I am not Vongola," she cut him off, glaring at him. She couldn't gauge his reaction to that seeing as his glasses were doing that thing Kawahira's did where she couldn't see his eyes, but she could assume that he was judging her. "Someone asked me to come here and I'm curious to find out why."

It's not like she was doing Mukuro a favor. She hadn't heard much about the girl from the others, but kind of remembering what had happened to Chrome and being stuck with two boys who only saw her as a means to communicate with Mukuro – well, she felt kind of bad for her.

"Chikusa-kun, it's alright," Chrome stepped out from the shadow of the doorway, clutching at the trident in her hand. "If anything happens, I can watch myself."

"I sure hope you can, cause if you can't why bother having you as my brother's Mist?" She sort of felt bad for the way the girl flinched at that and maybe Chikusa did care about Chrome in his own way by the actual frown that marred his usually blank features.

The teen looked as if he was about to say anything, but only shrugged his shoulders and slunk back up the path to the building.

The only sound heard was the rustling of Natsume's windbreaker as she crossed her arms beneath her chest, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, "Did…you want to sit down and talk somewhere…or just, y'know…?" she trailed off, one hand coming out from the crook of her elbow and just gesturing to the area they were in.

Chrome tilted her head, eyeing her cautiously and without saying anything else the girl walked past Natsume and headed back up the path Natsume had come from. The teen blinked, not having expected that from the girl, but she had a minor suspicion that Chrome may not exactly be all there at the moment.

She followed after Chrome, taking a seat opposite her once she picked a picnic bench to sit at. It was quiet for a few moments, nothing too awkward as they looked over one another, Chrome blushing as she suddenly realized what she was doing and Natsume just trying to figure out why exactly Mukuro wanted her to meet Chrome.

"Mukuro probably said something about me," Natsume began idly fiddling with the ends of her braid (which she should cut soon, those ends didn't look good at all.) "I don't really know why he wanted us to meet, but he must have a good reason."

Silence followed that with Chrome adjusting the trident she had so that the pole was smaller and could be laid in front of her on the table. A pretty decent Mist user judging by how solid and unwavering the pole was, especially since it was just created to uphold the trident.

"Mukuro-sama has only said that you are an interesting person," Chrome said after a while, the pads of her fingers lightly touching the pole to keep herself grounded. "That if I am in need of help to look either to you or the Boss."

"…my brother may be of more help, I don't know you so I don't think I'll be much help," Natsume said without much thought, before realizing what she said and the way Chrome seemed to huddle into herself. "But that doesn't mean I won't get to know you…" she added afterwards, pausing at first before finding the rest of her words. "I'd honestly rather deal with you than Mukuro."

"Mukuro-sama had his reasons for that."

Natsume pursed her lips, having a lot to say about that, but deciding against it. "I'm sure he did." Using Tsuna to take over the Mafia and bring it down, or whatever plan he had that definitely included mass murdering, wasn't a good reason, even if it was to get revenge.

He had finished off the Estraneo hadn't he? So why did he continue on with the rest of the Mafia world? It definitely wasn't to make sure that what had happened to him didn't happen to anyone else, because even 'regular' people did some fucked up shit.

Was she assuming his motives? Yeah, probably.

Was she ever going to find out his true motives? No, she didn't care enough to actually get to the matter and she would rather punch him in his face than anything else.

Natsume breathed in through her nose, running a hand through her bangs which were long again, but still too short to stay looped into her braid, "Look, you seem nice, I actually like you a lot better than Mukuro and I don't even know you, I'm willing to give you a chance," here she cast a dirty look over Chrome's shoulder, feeling as if they were being spied on. "Hell even those two with you, I'll give them a chance, but you have to build that trust."

Chrome blinked her lone purple eye at her and Natsume probably should have brought Hana along, but her best friend wasn't involved and would probably try to figure out why Natsume was being so hard on this girl.

A nosy Hana wasn't a great Hana.

And if she was interested and stubborn enough to investigate, she'd get to the heart of the matter. Natsume had a feeling she wouldn't last too long, Kyoko was one thing to get around, the girl could be easily distracted or waylaid, Hana not so much.

If anything she'd tell Hana soon enough, whether Tsuna and the others liked it or not.

Chrome still wasn't answering, but her pale cheeks were flushed pink, Natsume didn't know if it was because the uniform she was wearing barely gave her enough warmth or she was just that shy to be put on the spot like she had been.

"I would like that chance," Chrome finally said, offering her a small smile as she inclined her head, which earned her a half-smile from Natsume.

"It's nice to meet you then, I'm Sawada Natsume," she started, resting her elbow on the table, with her hand upright so it could cup her cheek. "You can call me Natsume if you'd like."

"Dokuro Chrome, Sawada-san, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Natsume would let her have that; she'd give it a couple weeks until she tried to convince Chrome to just call her by her first name. That was another thought, for now she wiggled the fingers of her right hand at the boys that just so happened to be walking their way, "I think official introductions with those two should be a thing too, don't you think?"

The girl blinked cutely at her, before nodding her head to look at the boys who had stopped upon being spotted. She got up to go to them, the blond boy giving her a distrustful glare, while Chikusa merely gave her a bland look.

Natsume sniffed, crossing her arms beneath her chest, her feet hooking underneath the extra wood running through the middle of the table so she could lean back without falling over.

At least her Sunday would be mildly productive.

/ | \

Making her way out of Kokuyo went a lot slower; Ken had followed after one of her clones, while she slipped away to head towards the thick forage. She could feel her skin crawling as she got closer to the spot and she stopped around the area she thought was where she had gotten her hands on Mukuro's other members so she could free Fuuta.

Natsume hugged herself.

She had already come to terms with what she had done, that still didn't stop her from being plagued with the occasional nightmare or not being able to sleep at night. No one really asked her why she was much more tired than usual in the morning, but she was slowly getting used to not getting much sleep.

Staying up these last couple days hadn't been an issue at all and she had been mastering the art of cat naps during the day. Knowing that she was sleeping when people were up and making noise made it easier for her mind to feel just a little at ease, because she at least knew who was making those noises.

She kicked at a rock watching it as it skipped over into the bushes, letting her thoughts run. Natsume straightened up as she the plants behind her rustled, was about to make herself disappear when a familiar chuckle that made her brow want to twitch something fierce in annoyance stopped her from doing so.

"You know princess, if you let those thoughts haunt you, you'll lose your beauty sleep."

Natsume only sniffed, turning to face Mukuro who gave her what he probably assumed was a charming smile. The older teen didn't take offence to her silence, merely stepping closer to her, stopping a ways away from her as her hands came down to her side, bluish purple lightening dancing along her finger tips.

"I didn't come here for a fight, just wanted to give you some advice."

She raised a brow at that, "Oh really? What makes you think I want your advice?"

He shrugged his shoulders, his hands coming up in a motion of 'what can I do', "Kufu~ I know what you did to the Twins, I won't hold it against you, your reasoning is rather admirable for doing so," he complimented her, earning a narrowed glare from her. "As someone who has experienced life various times in different ways all I can say is to let it go, don't hold on to what was."

That stumped her and threw her for a loop, "What?"

Mukuro laughed, "I'm not repeating myself princess," her brow twitched at the name and he found himself even more amused.

"I didn't know you were the type to give advice," she commented, deciding to figure what he was trying to get at later.

He gave her a fake smile, "I'm not, but you are helping my dear Chrome –"

"I never said I would help her."

Mukuro shook his head, tsking before continuing on, "By being a friend, I'm merely watching out for Chrome's friends."

"….I don't like you."

The teen's eyes crinkled shut, before he turned around and left the way he had come, fluttering his right hand over his shoulder, his form looking more feminine the farther he got away, "I'm sure we'll get along one day, princess."

The words echoed behind long after he had left, a scoff leaving Natsume as she decided to leave Kokuyo Land. She grumbled under her breath that the day Mukuro came back without using Chrome, she was going to deck him in the face and hand him over to Hibari.

_Part 51: Of Suggestions_

Kawahira stared at his student, who stared back just as intently, if a little on edge. He was able to continue sipping his drink as if she hadn't just asked him to reveal himself to not only her brother, but their tutor. One who had already stopped by and he had redirected around so he wouldn't know about him.

He could say no and she would respect his wishes, even though the others would always be trying to figure out who he was. If he said yes, things may be much smoother, he wouldn't have to redirect pesky nuisances or anything and it would give him the chance to be in the know of the others without it seeming odd that he was interested in them.

"Give me a while to consider it," was all he said, his eyes flickering down to the porcelain cup in her hand, before going back up to her hazel green hues. "I may oblige them, I may not, don't celebrate just yet."

The girl scoffed, whatever she was about to mutter under her breath silenced as she drank her own tea, still wincing slightly at the bitter taste. She had been trying to get used to drinking it without sweetening it up and found that she was getting used to it, along with the slight numbing sensation that always filled her when she drank.

"So you met this girl," Kawahira brought up after Natsume set her cup down, the girl reaching for the two long sticks he had set in front of her. She only picked one up, holding up the ends with her pointer fingers as she inspected the darkly varnished wood, seeming rather fixated on the minute carvings that it sported. "What do you think of her?"

"Potential," she uttered; blinking slowly up at him, though her eyes didn't get that glazed look she tended to get. "Whatever Mukuro's showed her works for her, the only thing really holding her back is just belief."

Kawahira hummed in that way of his that asked for more, that had her giving him a squinted eyed look, before answering, shrugging her shoulders as she set the one stick down and picked up the lighter colored one, "I'm sure she knows she's capable, or she's probably just not comfortable..." He could almost hear her saying ' _I don't know'_ but she trailed off instead.

"Then she will come around once she settles," Kawahira finally said, finding himself amused at how over focused Natsume was over tracing over the carvings in the second stick. "What about the young boy in your home, the Ranker."

Natsume pursed her lips, blowing air out slowly.

"He's calm, I…actually don't know if he's been ranking, but I don't think I've heard I-pin complaining that he made things float around again."

He kept his quiet laughter to himself, shaking his head as he thought about the days of when the selected few of his own people could speak to another and tell of things that no one would have known. The boy was still young, his power escaping him in a flux as he made his connection to the Other, it would be only after his early teen years that he would have some form of control of that.

"Sensei, I like both of them, they're so pretty."

"Stop looking at them like that then," he chided, glancing at the tea leaves gathered at the bottom of his cup. (He never really understood the tea reading or was it leaf reading? That had been more Sepira's thing than his) "A reminder to you, dear student, those are for an exercise, not for whatever willy nilly nonsense you're thinking."

That earned him a pouty frown, before the girl closed one eye, tongue sticking out as she waved the lightly colored wood, " _Silencio!"_  Gold colored sparks flew from the end and sprinkled over his lap, he merely picked up at one of the glowing sparks and rolled it between his thumb and pointer finger, shaking his head as he did so.

When Kawahira opened his mouth to tell her off, he found that the words he had been trying to say weren't being said. His mouth was forming the shapes of the words, but no sound came out.

The snorting laughter that left his student was obnoxious. He had thought it wouldn't have worked since the last time she tried a spell from Harry Potter, all the  _expelliarmus_ did was send her flying back instead of deflecting one of his fox creations.

Now the question was how long this would last? Or would Natsume be able to undo it on her own? Apparently she felt his eyes on her because her laughter teetered off as she looked at him with a wicked grin, "I can't believe that actually worked."

He only blinked, tilting his head to the side lightly as she continued on, "Maybe because it was more of an order? Could that be it? Since I am a Sky…." She muttered at the end, her left hand coming to scratch at her cheek.

That wouldn't be a bad assumption at all, as much as Sky's were capable of harmony and being considered a mediator type amongst other flame users, they were still what others flocked too. Assuming obedience on a mere simple suggestion with slight intent could snap others into listening.

Kawahira pursed his lips together in thought, before trying to hum slightly. There was a slight pull that suggested 'silence' to him now that he noticed it and instead of listening to it, he merely brushed it away with a slight flare of his own power, "Not a bad idea, we will have more time to look into it later," he said to her, noting that she still hadn't put the lightly colored wood away.

Maybe that also had something to do with it (was it Alder wood? Or Cedar?)

In any case, something to definitely look into later, right now he was going to try to get her to sit in the circle and see if she could keep the candles lit for ten minutes while falling to the sensation of the hemlock. It was another way for him to gauge how well she was taking to the drink; usually humans should not be ingesting hemlock at all, the plant more than capable of killing them, but here he was making his student drink it.

To him it didn't do anything, never had, but then again he was different.

And it wasn't like he didn't watch out for her after she left, seeing as the effects of hemlock were much more noticeable in the following days of ingestion, it was why he hadn't minded her missing so many lessons this past week – to allow both the after effects and understanding that it was a stressful time for her.

Kawahira clucked his tongue to get her attention, gesturing with his chin to the coffee table and flicking his hand in its direction. In its place appeared a small white circle, with five lines extending from it to connect to five smaller circles which had candle holders in the middle of them.

A deep sigh left his student as she got up sluggishly and making herself comfortable in the bigger circle.

"Ten minutes, Natsume, and remember do not let your thoughts run wild."

/ | \

It was later on in the day, Natsume had been home for a while, taking claim of the couch and just lying there, her head laying in Bianchi's lap, which amused the seventeen year old enough to not comment on it. Judging by the look of exhaustion on the girl's face, Natsume had been up to something and Bianchi knowing the girl, knew better than to ask.

If Natsume's greeting was anything to go by, she probably wouldn't get a coherent answer.

" _What are you watching?"_

The question was asked in Italian and Bianchi answered, " _Amor Real, a Mexican telenovela I watched with my mother a couple years ago."_

"… _.so you have seen it?"_

" _Mhmm, I liked it enough to decide to rewatch it."_

" _Oh…that is cool._ "

Before they could continue their conversation, Tsuna had come down and hearing his sister's voice he decided to lean over the edge of the couch and giving Natsume a searching look, "Tsume, you want to go out with me?"

"Why?"

Tsuna fiddled with the necklace, clutching the crystal in his hand as he gave her a closer look and deciding that she didn't look that tired, "I want to get ice cream."

"There's some in the freezer, no?"

" _Shh, you two it's starting."_

Natsume softly whined as she sat up, pouting up at Tsuna as she left her comfortable position and followed him towards the kitchen, where he opened the freezer, and gestured for her to look in, "We don't have ice cream."

She gasped sarcastically, "Oh no, the world is going to end."

"Go with me, please?"

Another whine from Natsume, before she breathed out heavily, "Can't Hayato go with you?" She was really in-between going out, she had walked way too much today and she didn't want to do more. Maybe she should look into getting her mother's moped out of storage for when she went out to see Chrome. That thing had been out of use for a couple of years, her mother preferring to take cabs instead of using it since it wasn't exactly safe to put more than two people on it.

"Come on Tsume, I want to hang out with my big sister."

She squinted her eyes at him, trying to ignore the way he hung off her, but failing as he was kind of pulling her down, "Okay, okay, I want two scoops."

"Two scoops of what?" Fuuta spoke up having walked into the kitchen and was now watching the two curiously.

"Ice cream, you want to come?" Tsuna said, straightening up, but still keeping his arms around Natsume's shoulders, going a bit on his tip toes so he could put his chin on her shoulder. "A belated birthday celebration for us."

"Are you sure?" Fuuta asked a bit hesitantly, not wanting to intrude on the two for something like that. He kind of understood of what had gone down that week, so it would make sense of Tsuna and Natsume-nee wanted to spend time together.

"He wouldn't ask if he minded, Fuuta," Natsume responded for her brother, shrugging him off by trying to dig her elbow into his stomach. The brunet huffed, but managed to get out of the way in time. "Go get Lambo and I-pin too; it'll be a big sibling outing."

Natsume missed the starry eyed look Fuuta gave her before the nine year old scrambled on out and headed to get the other two. Tsuna looked at Natsume curiously, a fond smile curling his mouth as he came to a conclusion.

"Sibling outing huh?"

His sister sniffed, crossing her arms against her chest as she avoided his gaze actually a little flustered that Tsuna had picked up on that, "Yeah, what of it?"

Tsuna shook his head, "Nothing….nothing at all." It was nice to see his sister grow and be more open with people, he honestly never really thought she'd be willing to act as she did with Bianchi and the kids, but from what Lambo and I-pin would say she would play games with them and he had just witnessed how she was around Bianchi.

He resisted the urge to pinch her cheek, knowing she would just turn it around on him so he just wrapped his arms around her waist, clinging to her even as she began walking out of the kitchen.

"You are being so annoying."

" _But Tsume, how else will you know I love you?_ "

It had been awhile since he had been able to act like this with her and he had surprisingly missed it. The other night just hanging out (even with breaking into Squalo's hospital room) with her had made him ache for the times when it had just been them. He realized he shouldn't just have those times as memories that used to be, but should try to continue them.

He didn't want to lose his sister, but if it ever came down to it, he wanted to have as much memories of her that he could. This Mafia life was something he was going to be hung up over and he wanted his family to know that no matter what he still loved them.

_Part 52: Stranger Friends_

Tsuna had gone to see  _Nono_ off and found out that the Varia themselves were being escorted back to Italy. He wouldn't like to label the assassins as being grumpy (Hayato was grumpy, Natsume was grumpy, these guys….did not fall under the category of grumpy).

The only one who actually acknowledged him was the arcobaleno that Reborn had called Viper, who had insisted to be called Mammon instead. Or Tsuna assumed, it was kind of hard to tell with the hood masking most of their face, but they had turned in his general direction and nodded.

Either at him or it was towards Reborn, either way his person (could Reborn be considered a posse?) was acknowledged. Xanxus had noticed him and even though they had worked out a deal, had ignored him.

He was still an asshole.

As the group was finally out of view, Tsuna felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, before another one settled, namely Reborn, "Now that that's out of the way, what do you plan to do now Decimo?"

" _No_ , not you too," Tsuna muttered, having thought that Hayato doing that recently was enough, he didn't need his tutor, who still had  _way_ more to teach him to address him as such. "Reborn please don't, ever call me that."

"It's what you are, you passed the test, and you now bare the right to wear the Vongola Sky ring."

Tsuna snorted, reaching up and moving Reborn from his shoulder to his arms, which the hitman didn't mind at all. He began to make his way out of the airport where the car that had driven him here was still waiting and got in the back before continuing, setting Reborn down on the other seat as he did so. "Until I wear this ring," he flicked at the chain around his neck, the silver ring swaying lightly, "On my finger, I will be called that, since I don't, I'm just Tsuna."

Reborn gave him that weird smile of his, which was just the corner of his mouth twitching upwards and not blinking at him as he did so (which was weird, why was he so weird), "Whatever you say Tsuna."

Tsuna sighed, slouching down in his seat arms crossed against his chest as he shook his head, " _Y'know_ I think I kind of liked it better when you were on hounding me than just going along with what I say." The moment the words left him, he instantly regretted as he felt a chill crawl up his spine and the hairs on his arms rise.

"That can be arranged," Leon shapeshifted into Reborn's preferred gun and Tsuna was already making the not so smart decision, but better than being shot at of making his way out of the car.

The moving car that is.

Tsuna rolled with his momentum, almost regretting his decision, but deciding this was the better course. He'd convince himself of it later once his adrenaline wore off. The car was a ways away now, a gunshot still ringing out before something burst over his head when he automatically flinched down. A piece of paper fluttered down in front of him, a crude drawing of a smiley faced Reborn holding up a peace sign,

' _Enjoy the fifteen mile walk home~'_

Tsuna instead of crumpling the note, he folded and tucked it into his pocket. He straightened up, dusting himself off and was kind of glad that the small airport was on the very edges of Namimori and that not many people came this way, preferring to make the drive to Tokyo to Narita International Airport.

It may also be because that the planes that happened to take off around here were the small ones that fit maybe under twenty people.

The old man and the others probably didn't really care how much money it was costing them to fly out of here just to go to Narita or whatever plan they had. If anything they probably were flying straight to Italy from here.

He'd probably fly out from Narita when it came to leaving for Italy, if only because it would be cheaper than pulling out from Namimori. Vongola may have money and it probably wouldn't care how he spent it as long as he showed 'results', but why on earth would he spend more money than he should?

Unless it was an emergency.

Ugh, he was getting up in his thoughts about airplanes and spending, maybe he should have stayed in the car with Reborn. He sighed, trudging on slightly thankful that October was beginning to cool down and it wasn't scorching hot in the middle of the day. He still took off his sweater and wrapped the sleeves around his waist.

He began to hum under his breath, murmuring words to songs he had heard when he was younger or reciting mathematic formulas that Reborn had drilled into his head (there was an exam coming up soon….right? he had to check his calendar). While math wasn't his favorite subject and he still struggled in it, Tsuna was always fascinated by how much Reborn knew even if it wasn't material the toddler seemed to have studied in like he had math.

It always made Tsuna want to ask how exactly a pint-sized toddler like Reborn could know half of that stuff, but he refrained. His tutor had never been forthcoming about what he was exactly, always having said that he was his tutor from hell and the World's Greatest Hitman.

He still didn't know much about what an arcobaleno was, but it tied in with those pacifiers that hung around not only Reborn's neck, but Colonello's and Mammon's as well.

Hey, thinking of Colonello, what had he been up too? Tsuna hadn't seen him hanging around as much as he thought he would. Was he still staying at the Sasagawa's or had he left back to Mafia Land long before this ended?

Tsuna was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice that he was in a more populated part of town, but his intuition kept him from bumping into people, even catching a ball that was bouncing its way into the main road and handing it back to the two kids that had been chasing after it.

It wasn't until he literally ran into someone that he realized that he had been a lot more caught up in his thoughts than he should have been.

(Why did he get the feeling Reborn was going to know about this?)

"Hie! I'm sorry," he quickly said, crouching down to pick up the CD cases that had scattered around, along with the few books that person was carrying. He straightened it all up as best as he could, giving a sheepish smile to the red head who still looked dazed.

Well at least he wasn't the only one that had been caught up in his own little world.

"You…seem familiar," the red head spoke quietly as he looked at Tsuna, trying to figure out why the brunet in front of him was ringing a bell in his head. "Have we met before?"

Tsuna shook his head, still holding onto the red head's things, "I live on the other side of town, I rarely come this way."

The red head hummed, his eyes going down to look at the things the brunet was holding out to him. He blinked slowly, before apologizing, wincing as his stomach began to cramp up as his anxiety began to kick in. He could feel himself burning at the ears as he realized the brunet has been holding out his things to him the last couple minutes as he acted rather weirdly to him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you hold onto this for so long," he apologized, reaching for his things. The brunet only smiled, shrugging one shoulder.

"It's alright; if anything I should be sorry since I knocked your things out of your hands."

"…but I wasn't paying attention."

With the items out of his hands, the brunet shrugged again, waving one hand at him, "Neither was I." The brunet flicked his gave at the watch around his right wrist, grimacing at whatever thought crossed his mind, "I really am sorry…I uh…have to get going, hope you have a good rest of your day!"

The red head blinked, before bravely calling out to the brunet who had started to jog away, "Wait! What's your name?" It would bother him for a while if he couldn't place where exactly he had seen him, maybe knowing his name would help.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi!"

Tsuna missed the way the red head blanched, his pale skin becoming more ashen as the name did click. The one and only times he has heard and seen Sawada Tsunayoshi was in his dreams, where they were always fighting, always dying, and the world falling apart.

The cramping in his stomach got worse and he tried to soothe himself, "At…at least they're only dreams," he murmured quietly to himself.

/ | \

"It took you long enough."

"I was admiring the peaceful scenery," Tsuna responded instantly, toeing off his shoes before going further in. "My  _mama'_ s not home?"

Reborn watched as the brunet took a seat beside him, "She left about five minutes ago."

"Ah, it's Tuesday," he murmured to himself as he pulled over the plate that had been covered by a simple napkin. Lifting it up, he began to pick out and eat the pieces of sausage, idly wondering who hadn't finished their lunch and why his mom had cooked breakfast for lunch.

He should probably stop by old man Yosuke's house one of these days, if only to say hi and see how he was doing. It's what his mom usually got up to on Tuesday's and Thursday's, either visiting the old man or taking him some food she had made.

"You should take notes from your mother; she certainly knows how to endear people towards her."

Tsuna looked at Reborn meeting the hitman's eyes and shaking his head, "I think that's something you should tell Natsume,  _I_ ," he held his head high, one hand on his chest as he gestured to himself. "Am my mother's son through and through, I know how to get people to like me."

A scoff came from behind him that honestly made him yelp in surprise. Hands threaded through his hair and shook his head lightly, " _I know how to 'endear' people, I just choose not to 'cause mostly everyone's proven themselves to be shitheads."_

Point.

"Why are you speaking Italian?" he asked instead, hands reaching up and grabbing his sister's wrists and tugging them forward. She went with the motion, settling her weight against the back of the chair, her chin resting on his head.

" _Because it sucks and I want to understand Fuuta when he gets too excited over something."_

"That's because he starts speaking a mixture of French and Italian," Reborn decided to point out, feeling great joy at the deadpanned look Natsume was giving him. The girl's right brow twitched, before she hid her face in her brother's hair.

" _Are you kidding me!_ "

"Nope~"

"Devil child no one  _asked_ you."

"My feelings are hurt," Reborn responded dryly at the old nickname, more focused on swirling the last bit of his coffee before drinking it.

"I'm surprised you still have those," Natsume grumbled, looking at him again and giving him the stink eye.

Ah, these moments. It reminded him of when he got here and Natsume didn't like him. The way the girl's nose wrinkled when Leon skittered to his shoulder, flicking out his tongue at her, and how she bolted when the chameleon began to transform was worthy of a chuckle.

So he just finished off the last of his drink, Leon settling back in his usual form, blinking confusedly as Tsuna stuck his pinky in his ear and said, " _What?_ " Apparently Natsume's new idea of running away consisted of a rather loud 'pop' and disappearing from view. Rather annoying as it was kind of deafening, but Reborn could work around that.

Tsuna couldn't, which was why the brunet gave him a confused look to which the hitman merely shrugged. Reborn couldn't exactly sign, Tsuna didn't know that and he was terrible at reading lips, so he would just have to wait.

He could have helped reduce that little issue, but he wasn't.

Not because he didn't want too, but because he wanted them to learn to get through situations like this. And what better what to know what it's like to go partially deaf for a few minutes like now?

(Honestly though, he really didn't want too.)

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is just wrapping everything up (thank goodness! I never thought I'd ever get through the Varia Arc) and we're steadily moving forward.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed!


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or stuff.**

**Word Count:** 8302

* * *

_Part 53: Small Things_

It wasn't obvious at first.

It was weeks after  _Nono_ had left; Tsuna and the rest of them had been trying in their own ways to return to how they used to live their life. Things weren't so carefree anymore, sure they all had their moments of lightness and acting like the teenagers they were.

But something had changed them all, much more than the interaction with Mukuro had.

"I'm sorry Haru," Tsuna apologized, holding his hands up in front of him, between wanting to hug the girl to show that he was sincere, or maybe because holding someone would ground him. "I didn't mean to do that."

The brunette girl gave a pained smile, holding onto her wrist as she leaned back from Tsuna. Haru hadn't wanted to believe what Kyoko had told her the other day, that their friends seemed a lot more strung out, always seeming as if they were looking over their shoulder and ready to fight at the bat of an eye.

"It's, ah, okay," Haru said, gingerly cradling her hand to her chest. "Tsuna-san are you okay?"

Tsuna sighed, guilt settling and he felt absolutely horrible. He rubbed the back of his head; eyes locked on Haru's reddening wrist that he had twisted when she had come up behind him and tried to cover his eyes. She had done that various times before, covering his eyes and asking him in a sing song voice ' _guess who_ ' and it should have been an innocent surprise.

And he had hurt her instead.

"I just have a lot on my mind," he said honestly.

It wasn't like he was over what had happened only three weeks, it wasn't like he had been given time to come to terms with what had happened with Mukuro. It had been one thing after another, because he hadn't been able to pick up on this change in him until now.

Who else was he going to hurt?

( _Lambo? I-pin? Natsume….his mom?_ )

Haru's wrist ached, a flare of pain and then it started going down. "Hahi, maybe you want to talk about it?" she offered up slowly, bringing her hands down and fiddling with the edge of her skirt. "I was coming up to you to ask if you wanted to catch up, I haven't seen you in a while."

"…are you sure?"

She rolled her eyes at him, letting go of her skirt and holding out her good hand to him, instead of just hooking her arm with his, "I wouldn't be suggesting it if I didn't want to Tsuna-san."

His eyes flicked from her hand to her face, giving a tentative shrug before he held out his arm to her. She gave a bubbly laugh as she hooked her arm with his and began to lead them towards the coffee shop she and the girls liked to hang around.

A warm feeling filled Haru and the more she felt herself wrapped up in it, the less her wrist ached. For Tsuna, he was just making sure that he would be able to keep tabs on who was who.

(He also wanted to see if he could include Haru in the group of people he felt were familiar. He wanted to know if he could extend that to others and see if he could feel out for who was friendly and who wasn't.

Like in video games and how he could tell who was on his side and who was his enemy. The unmarked people who snuck up on him or tried anything would be in for a rather nasty surprise.

He was just happy he got himself before he could flip Haru over his shoulder.)

/ | \

They really hadn't talked about much, Tsuna mostly complaining about catching up on all his school work and maybe that was what had him on edge, while Haru clucked her tongue at him.

"You're so lucky to have someone like Reborn around," she had said, one hand wrapped around her drink, while the other moved around her straw to mash up the blended drink so it'd be easier to drink. "I mean, for a kid, he's really smart."

Tsuna had agreed, not that he would ever admit it to Reborn's face.

They had also talked about other things, like the costume making competition Haru was entering, along with a bunch of pictures she had taken on her phone of when she and the girls had their sleep over at Kyoko's.

It was a breath of fresh air to be around someone so out of the loop and normal compared to the rest of his friends that Tsuna felt a lot better and a touch guiltier as a thought hit him. He couldn't exactly continue being friends with Haru, not if he wanted her to end up on someone's watch list just because she was associated to him.

It probably wouldn't happen for another couple years, unless someone decided to stir up rumors. Not only would that make everything worse, but it would show that someone within Vongola wasn't doing their job in keeping things quiet.

Like that the Varia had  _lost._ That  _Xanxus_ had lost. That  _Nono_ had almost died.

So far everything had been well enough, that maybe he could continue being friends with Haru. At least see her off through the rest of their school years and that she stayed safe long after he was gone from Namimori.

Kyoko and Hana would be harder to do, more so Hana who had recently stopped being nosy and trying to get answers out of him.

(He suspected Natsume had told her, or had said enough to keep the dark haired girl satisfied.)

If anything he could count Hana as also knowing what was happening in their lives and he didn't know if he should feel annoyed or upset at Natsume if she had broken the news to Hana.

"Don't be such a stranger Tsuna-san!" Haru had said to him before she headed home, giving him what she considered a calming smile.

He had waved her off, quietly agreeing and also wondering what the hell was his life now that he had to make decisions of whether or not he should cut someone off to protect him. It'd have to be a slow one, eventually Haru would find another clique of friends that she would mesh better with.

Sighing, Tsuna turned to start heading home.

As he walked past the shops he noted the antique shop his sister apparently liked to frequent. Patting his pocket lightly to feel out his wallet, he decided that now was as good as time as ever to get his sister a belated birthday present.

The bell above the door chimed, but the man behind the register didn't bother looking up from his book, merely waving a hand in greeting, before bringing it down to turn the page. He eyed the first couple tables, the simple bands and rings, jewelry boxes and the odd mask or two that adorned the two front tables.

He passed those up, looking over to his left hand side and quickly dismissed the clothes and chests filled with toys. The tables behind the first ones had more masks and palm sized or bigger chests filled with either baggies of colorful stones that had a note tucked into them or jars filled with dried out flowers.

One of the cases that had been set up in the middle of the table caught his attention. Two wooden sticks were in there instead of a typical plastic flower, he leaned down closer to inspect them noticing that they both had engravings in them, their meaning completely lost to him.

He picked the lighter colored stick, noticing that the base of it had a gnarled look to it, how it seemed like they had gotten smaller branches and intertwined them together. A small triangle was etched into the very flat end of the wood; the rest of the length above the base would have smooth if it wasn't for the circular carvings that wound around the wood.

He decided on getting her that (because not only would she like it, but it was fun to feed along to her 'witch' like tendencies), along with a pouch that was only filled with two reddish brown stones. Of the crystals, or stones, or whatever it was she had and that he had seen, he was sure she didn't have these.

With a bit more confident stride and hoping he didn't go broke, Tsuna walked up to the counter and put down the two items. The man closed his book, looking over the two things, one side of his mouth quirking up as his brows rose in amusement.

At least he hoped it was amusement.

"You are Nastume-chan's brother?"

"…Yes…" should he be worried that the shop keep remembered him or was that just how much time Natsume spent in here.

"I'll give you her discount," and Tsuna held his breath as the man rang up the normal total and then cut it in half. What would have come up to be over eleven thousand yen only came up to five thousand.

(He would make a note to be nice to his dad the next time he saw him, if it wasn't for him depositing into his bank account for his allowance, there was no way he would have been able to pay for this.

The thought irked it, but for Natsume it was worth it.)

"Is this really an antique shop?" Tsuna asked as he watched the man count the money he handed over before giving him his change. "I…don't think I see what most would consider antiques."

Weren't antique shops supposed to have…antiques? Sure there were somethings Tsuna could point out that could be considered that, like the porcelain dolls lined up against the wall near the clothing racks, or some of the tapestries he saw hung up on the wall.

The white haired man smiled as he handed Tsuna his bag, fingers briefly brushing as Tsuna grabbed it, "It all depends on who enters my shop, you will see what you want and you will find what you seek."

Tsuna blinked, not knowing what to make of the man's words.

Maybe he was just weird like that.

"Oh, ah okay, uh," he nodded, fumbling a little over his words. "I'll be going now."

And if it was a touch rude with how quickly he left, especially after posing such a question to the owner, Tsuna was out. As the door closed behind him, he couldn't help but shiver, goosebumps appearing on his skin as the feeling of something completely and totally other rushed over him.

There was no way it was the odd shop keeper, his sense of danger didn't go off like it often did when Reborn decided he wanted to test him by stalking him. It must have come from nearby and he was to the point right now that he didn't want to deal with whatever that 'danger' was, so he hurried home, careful to cross the streets on his way there.

Kawahira meanwhile shook his head as he sensed the little Sky dart away. Natsume's brother may have a good sense of right and wrong, could easily follow along his instinct and the guidance of his predecessor's.

But not bothering to take him into account of being a probable danger after that little trick he pulled?

Now that was foolish.

/ | \

Natsume made this sound that was the equivalent of stepping on a squeaky toy. He didn't have enough time to figure how high she would go, nor figure out how she managed that before she tackled him down in a hug.

"You really shouldn't have, but this is the best thing ever!"

Especially because she had wanted the wooden wand the first time around and Kawahira had told her no. She didn't know exactly what led to Tsuna going into Kawahira's shop, but whatever had she was kind of glad for it.

Her grip slackened a little on him as she fumbled with the pouch, trying to open it one handed, before shaking it up to him, "Take one, it's for your own good."

"But it's your present –"

"And I said take one, trust me on this."

Tsuna knew there was no putting his sister off of this so he took the other stone and just held it out, not bothering to move out of Natsume's hold as she tucked the pouch into her jacket's pocket. Her hold on him resumed and she ended up dragging him down onto his bed so that they could sit side by side.

Her fingers lightly poked his sides and there was a curious look in her eyes, "So what's got you all bothered?" Was he so obvious? She reached up with her hand and bopped him on the nose, "It's not just you Tsuna," his sister sighed, pulling back from him and moving herself over to the head of his bed, where she leaned back against it.

She set the wand aside, lacing her hands in her lap, "Stuff has happened and I think the only people who bounced back from it are Lambo and Ryohei." Colonello had stayed awhile after; Kyoko had mentioned him still being around and even had pictures of the tiny soldier following Ryohei around to make sure he was fine. Lambo was doing a lot better, Fuuta having decided to watch over him and it helped that I-pin was there too.

Tsuna stared at his sister, who stared back.

It was so odd seeing his sister act so much older than she was and he couldn't help but blame himself a little for that with her always having to watch out for him and help him out. He fell back against his bed, bouncing lightly, "I hurt Haru on accident," he murmured, fiddling with the reddish stone, spotting the tiny flecks of green and orange within it. "She snuck up on me and I hurt her."

He heard Natsume suck in a breath, her legs stretching out in front of him so she could put her toes underneath his thigh, "Tsuna…."

"She apologized and I felt so bad, I didn't even realize…shouldn't I have noticed this change in me?"

Natsume bit the inside of her lip, not at all knowing how to help her brother. She was the type to push everything aside and not deal with it, continuing on like nothing until something happened that made it impossible to avoid everything.

Physical fights, she was down to do.

Fire-y magic shit, sure why not.

Dealing with a previous lifetime (that she was more or less accustomed too and didn't feel so weird about), dealing with all the wild shit and murders she had committed, witnessing her friends fighting for their lives?

Yeah, that she hadn't signed up for.

But here she was.

"I think the best we can do for ourselves," she murmured, voice very soft that Tsuna had to shift over to hear her, his head resting against her thigh as he looked up at her. She was doing that thing where she picked at the skin of her lips and tore it off with her teeth, "Is try not to lose ourselves? I don't know…" Her hand settled into his hair, running through it and giving him a strained smile that quickly faded away.

"You," she poked lightly tapped her finger against his nose again, "You should really not work yourself into a corner, don't hide, I think if you talked to the others about this and just tried to work through it together you'd all have an easier time dealing with all this."

"That sounds easy, but no one likes talking about their feelings Tsume, the guys are so….ugh," he really didn't have much of an issue talking about himself or his feelings. But his friends sometimes were hard to get to open up, especially when something was bothering them.

"Then don't talk about your feelings?"

He glared at her, "Really?"

She shrugged, throwing her hands up as she did, "You're going to have to push them to do that Tsuna, so start off small, ask them their thoughts about what's happened." She sucked on her lower lip, tasting the blood, "You can't take their ' _Oh I'm fine_ ' as an answer."

"I think we're going to have to beat it into their heads what it exactly means to be part of our family," Tsuna muttered after a while, getting a hum of approval from Natsume. He felt better now after talking with his sister; it was always easier to get his thoughts out around her especially when he was in a slump he hadn't noticed he was in.

Now it was just getting the others to do it.

Not them talking to his sister, but just talking between themselves.

"I'll figure something out."

"I'm sure you will Tsuna."

_Part 54: Family Matters_

"I still find it hard to believe," Hana muttered, leaning back against the building, watching as Tsuna and the others made their way out. She looked beside her to Natsume, who wasn't as short as she used to be, the girl merely shrugging at her comment.

"You wanted to know and I told you," the teen responded nonchalantly. "If you want to believe it or not, its fine, but you have the decision of whether you want to be our friend or not now that you do."

Hana snorted, nearly bristling at the way she was spoken too. It wasn't the first time Natsume talked to her like that since she explained what exactly what had gone down that one week. ( _Natsume was_ her  _friend, she didn't understand the why, but she wasn't going to leave her just because of this._ )

The Mafia, not only that the  _Italian_ Mafia.

She didn't know much about it, but Hana knew they weren't good people. There were enough movies dealing with the idea of the underworld that made her wonder how much of it was the truth and what was fake.

"You still want to go to Kokuyo Land with me?" Natsume asked her kicking off from the wall and almost twirling to face her.

"Why are you leaving Kyoko out of this?" Hana asked instead of answering, moving off the wall and gesturing for her to lead the way. "I thought –"

"That's up to Ryohei and Tsuna, she's instantly associated through her brother and it's their responsibility to make sure she's safe," that sounded kind of cruel, didn't Natsume care for the girl too? "I adore Kyoko, I really do, but I can't go ahead and do that."

"So why was it fine to tell me?"

"If I didn't and crazy stuff kept happening and we weren't able to tell you, you'd figure it out and probably end up in more danger because of it," Natsume slanted over an amused grin as Hana sniffed. "So if I tell you now, you'll be safe and like I said you can decide if you want to stay or dip out."

"And if I wanted to leave? How would you make sure I kept my mouth shut?"

The smile Natsume gave her wasn't anything like the crooked or dorky smiles, the way her eyes took on a weird shine and the sense of ' _danger'_ made Hana remember that Natsume could be a not so nice person when she wanted to be.

"It's not that hard to make someone forget, Hana-chan~"

/ | \

Tsuna should really consider giving this little area a nickname, always remembering it as 'the place he and his sister went off on Reborn' was too long. If anything he was going to call it 'Kyne's Grove' if only because he had recently completed that Divine's quest in Oblivion for the Knights of the Nine and this area was peaceful and very Kyne-like.

That was his excuse and he was sticking to it.

Not that anyone was going to ask him what this place was called; they would just think it was a nice little spot.

"Are we doing something today with Reborn?" Takeshi after setting his bags down, hands at his hips as he looked around the area, trying to figure out the spots Reborn could be using to be hiding in or where he might come out from.

"Can't us guys just hangout and be one with nature?" Tsuna asked, grimacing a little at what he had just said.

"Fresh air is never bad for the body!" Ryohei agreed, "Colonello-sensei always said to admire the stillness of nature, because what often follows is the most devastating."

"Please explain lawn head," Hayato yawned, already having set his bags down and was laying his head down on it, one arm slung over his face, covering up his eyes.

"Well before an earthquake hits, you know how you get the sense of something's going to happen, but you don't know what and it's kind of calm," Ryohei started turning towards Hayato, "And then out of nowhere it's like  _bam!_ No more peace, like that."

Hayato actually lowered his arm to give the white haired teen a skeptical look, before covering his face up and merely grunting. He wasn't going to be the one to tell Ryohei that that made perfect sense.

"That does make sense," Takeshi said instead, taking a seat beside his things and bringing his knees up to his chest.

Tsuna sat opposite Takeshi and Hayato, mimicking Takeshi's position, resting his arms against his knees. Now that they were all here he was kind of unsure of how to continue on – he had a feeling if he just asked Ryohei would be the one who was very upfront, while Takeshi and Hayato might need a little more prodding.

"Guys, I…I want to talk about what's happened lately," he mumbled out at first, shaking himself slightly and raising his voice towards the end. He resisted the urge to look at his hands as he twiddled his thumbs and looked at each one of his friends who now stared at him. "I want to know that we aren't going to be hung up over things, that because of what's happened to us we won't hurt others."

Hayato had sat up, his arms behind him holding him up. Takeshi was more attentive now as was Ryohei, who stayed standing, merely resting his hands at his hips.

"I want us," Tsuna gestured to them all, "To be able to talk no matter what and work through whatever comes our way." He cleared his throat, wiping his hands down on the knees of his jeans, his hands feeling sweaty all of a sudden. "You're all my family and if I know anything, family takes care of each other, helps each other up when we're down."

"…so can we do this?"

Ryohei since he was already up was the first at his side, kneeling down, left hand on his shoulder and squeezing it lightly, "We can." The boxer looked over at the others, raising his brows and holding out his left hand for either Takeshi or Hayato to get. "Right guys?"

Hayato scoffed, narrowing his eyes slightly, but still reached out to grasp Ryohei's hand, if only to give it a brief shake, "I'm only letting you agree for me this time, get it lawn head?"

The boxer only beamed brightly at him, before turning to Takeshi, who actually looked a little taken back not at all having expected any of this. The baseball player could feel everyone's gaze on him and even though they weren't pressuring him, he felt like he couldn't breathe.

For a second it felt like he was in the water again, suffocating and being left for dead.

"Oi," Hayato called to him and the teen's jade eyes were vibrant as Takeshi glanced at him, "Cat got your tongue or what?"

Takeshi gave a brief smile, huffing lightly before it slipped away. He looked to Tsuna, who was watching him carefully and he felt warmed by the attention. That even though he had lost and messed up, Tsuna hadn't fretted over that at all.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

Anything to help ease the feeling of hopelessness that crept up every now and then, judging by Tsuna's stance something had happened to the brunet that had led him to realizing that they were all a little much more messed up than they had believed they were.

Tsuna smiled, eyes crinkling shut as he did so, "Awesome, any ideas how we can start guys?" They all would come up with their one ways to help themselves and each other.

/ | \

Meeting Chrome for the first time, Hana found the younger girl adorable. How Natsume met someone like Chrome and hadn't managed to upset her, was something she was still trying to figure. Whether Natsume admitted or not, she could be particularly blunt sometimes and come off as rude and Chrome looked like the type to get hurt easily.

That was until the two stood beside each other at the center of the picnic area, which looked to have long ago been cleared of the tables and just stood there, talking in low voices before Natsume moved to stand in front of the girl.

What came next really shouldn't have surprised Hana, but it did.

What looked like purple fire erupted from the trident that Chrome had had at her side as she pulled it out from the make shift sheathe she had it in. It elongated, balanced on top of a staff, while Natsume didn't at all look bothered.

If anything her friend pulled out a whitish stick and just held it out. A piece of wood obviously would  _not_ hold out against a sharp, metal weapon. Hana was on her feet about to go to her friend's side when she lazily flicked the wand and a beam of indigo shot out at the tip, before expanding and covering over the both of them.

Inhaling deeply, Hana slowly breathed out as she took a seat, hands fisted tightly in her sweater's pockets as she watched the very odd and unreal scenario that had cropped up in front of her. The two didn't really fight as Hana had expected them too, but they did try to outdo one another with whatever it was they were doing.

When Natsume stepped out whatever the hell she erected, she found Hana's sudden attention on her very odd or would have if she hadn't noted the green coloring in her usually dark brown eyes. The fair haired brunette walked up to her friend and gave her a cheeky smile.

"Hana are you jealous?" Natsume asked, prodding the dark haired girl who  _wasn't_ pouting and didn't at all feel excluded that she couldn't do even half of what the purple haired girl and her best friend were doing.

"I am not."

Natsume snickered, managing to prod Hana's cheek before she turned away, slanting a Cheshire grin to Chrome who merely blinked at the interaction once she stepped closer to them, "I think she's jealous, what about you Chrome?"

The girl looked at her, blinking cutely as she considered her words, before nodding slowly, "Maybe a little Sawada-san."

" _Am not_."

Natsume sighed, pinching her friend's cheek who had surprisingly not slapped her hand away, "I can't promise that you can do the same as us, but we can figure something out."

Clucking her tongue, Natsume gestured for Chrome to come closer and the girl did, standing a foot or two away, "Chrome are you hungry?"

The girl hesitated a bit in answering, so Natsume assumed yes and without another thought there was a clone of herself there, "Go get us food and some for the boys as well." Hana gaped as her clone went off to do as she said, turning a bewildered look to her.

She only wiggled her fingers at the dark haired girl, "You can do it too, just, not to that extent….I think."

"You think? Then what do you  _think_ I can do?"

Natsume pointed to her neck, where she still wore the necklace she had gotten her for her birthday, "You can spark that piece of jade, so I'm sure you can do more with lightening."

"huh?" was Hana's intelligible response to that. "What do you mean, what can lightening do?"

"When you can answer that question, I'll help you figure out the how's," Natsume smiled at her, pulling away and walking towards one of the benches nearby and laying out across it. "For now let's just relax yeah?"

[line break]

Hana and Chrome had gone to the restroom, leaving Natsume to relax in the shade. Her clone should be coming back by now and when she heard the rustling of clothes she assumed it was her double. Opening her eyes she shut them quick to ignore the second person that accompanied her clone.

"Sawada."

"Hibari-san,  _why_?" she cracked an eye open to stare at the prefect who stopped at her bench, giving her that smirk of his. He looked ridiculously pleased as he held up the plastic bag with their food.

"I wanted to know why you felt fake, I got my answer."

"Fake?" she shot up, bristling at the jab. "My clones do not feel fake!" Kawahira had made damn sure in knowing that she knew how to seamlessly make her clones as real as her.

The prefect just continued smirking, "I beg to differ."

Natsume scowled, righting herself so that her feet were on the seat of the bench, about to push herself off when she realized why exactly Hibari may have gone to the extent to come this far out and insult her.

Lips pursed Natsume got off the bench and with one hand on her hip and the other one nearly jabbing Hibari in the chest the girl said, "You really want to fight me that bad, huh?" The prefect didn't even get the chance to respond as with a neat flick of her hand he was pushed back up against one of the trees, the girl still standing where she was but a wicked smile curling her mouth.

Stepping away from the bench, she left another clone of herself (and another to take up some food to the boys at their main hang out) there to let the girls know what had happened. Right now she was more than itching to punch Hibari in the face.

Maybe then he'll stop appearing in places she didn't expect him to be.

_Intermission 21_

_More or less, I was in shock._

_I mean, I expected my friends to be up to some underhanded things but the Mafia? That was shocking. I didn't know if it was cruel or not to consider Tsuna as the head of one of the most well-known criminals in the world._

_The Godfather of them all._

_Absolutely ridiculous, my respect for their father goes down and I only met the man once._

_Did I even want to be their friend?_

_Did I want to be a part of their dangerous lifestyle? There was no escape for them, no matter how hard Tsuna tried to keep Natsume out; she was as elbow deep in it as he was. But us, especially me, there was still an out for us._

_Was that out worth it?_

_Losing our memories of everything that had happened between us? If we decided to do that, would we just remember the Sawada's as the rumors had deigned them? Average, klutzy and useless kids who would eventually amount to nothing? Who had aspired for just average?_

_I don't know why I get upset at the thought of that happening._

_Natsume was_ my  _friend._

_One of my best friend's._

_Would this come between Kyoko and me? She's been my friend since elementary and keeping something like this from her, when her own brother was involved….it didn't sit well with me. It wasn't my place to tell Kyoko anything and with the way I see things going, I doubt Ryohei will be telling her any time soon._

_This sucks._

_Why do boys have to be such idiots?_

_Don't they realize that they aren't the only ones in danger? Do they think because they keep us out from what's happening, we won't get hurt?_

_Stupid, stupid monkeys._

/ | \

Natsume hissed through her teeth, eyes narrowing at Hibari who was wiping at his mouth. She shifted her stance, right foot sliding back, bending both knees slightly as she brought her left hand up, palm held up towards Hibari, while her right hand faced down and went behind her back.

Hibari tilted his head at her stance, recognizing it as the one she opened up with. He hoped she did something different this time around, even though that first move had been interesting. He moved towards her, keeping an eye to her right as she could probably summon and control a wave of that liquid mist and try to smother him with it.

His tonfa clanged against a shimmery shield, his other one came up to strike at it again in hopes of breaking it down, but her left hand came up swiftly, a just as shimmery short staff coming up to block it. Her left hand lowered to accommodate her move, the shield crumbling as her staff clanged against his tonfa.

Since he was taller and had more strength than her he thought he would be able to push her back, but she held steady.

Admirable.

She was much more interesting than that fool Mukuro  _and_ she didn't grate on his nerves like the pineapple haired teen did. It seemed sharing similar powers, didn't make them at all the same.

With a grunt the girl grasped her weapon with both hands, sliding it down and moving with it so that she could crouch and then swing out at his legs. He jumped up with enough force to front flip over her, righting himself quickly to get at her back.

His tonfa went right through her and the smirk the clone levelled at him before it became nothing but tendrils that swarmed up his arms.

There was that murmur again that she had done that first time, forcing him into a lull, to relax, when all he really wanted to do was push her to the edge and see how far she could go. A heavy breath beside him had him struggling to turn his head to see her, "I think we're good with that, Hibari-san." She gave him a hard stare, which was ruined when she began to yawn.

With a half assed wave, the tendrils fell away and he was able to move as he pleased. A tiny, tiny voice in his head that sounded like hers still suggested leaving it at that. "I think there should be some extra food, my clone got a lot more than it should have."

The prefect blinked down at her, before he shrugged one shoulder and began to fold away his weapons. A tiny chirp came from above and then a little yellow fluff was settling on Hibari's shoulder as the teen led the way to the picnic area they had strayed from.

Where she and Chrome had been going through stances and mock little fights to see how they held up while in motion earlier.

"We should do this again," Natsume murmured hands at her back as she pushed them back in hopes of cracking her back. "You're ridiculous you know that right?"

Hibari merely harrumphed, pausing far enough they were still noticed by the two girls who were already eating and to consider if he really wanted to sit near someone that was being used by Mukuro. Not sensing any of those Mukuro-ish vibes, Hibari continued forward, sitting on the opposite end of the bench.

"Uh, Natsume…"

"Yes Hana?" Natsume said as she sat down beside her, reaching in the bag for the last container of food. Tearing the top off she put a bit of her own food in it and slid it down to Hibari who nodded his head in thanks and began to eat, while keeping a close eye on Chrome.

"Why is he here?"

"You didn't wonder at all why I was gone the last twenty minutes?"

"Are you okay?"

Natsume nodded, picking up one of the dumplings in the box and popping it in her mouth, "I mean, I should be." Hibari hit hard and the parts of her body he had hit her were beginning to throb, her left wrist especially since she fumbled in the beginning when trying to block him and failed to bring up a shield in time.

The teen was ridiculous and here she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, before shaking her head and bringing her attention back to her food.

If anything came to worse though, doing these things with Hibari would mean she'd have a hand over people trying to fight her.

Really, the guy was an absolute monster when it came to fighting.

She wondered where he learned it from.

_Part 55: We Start Believing Now_

When Tsuna got home later on that day, it was to find the couches from the living room pushed all day up against the wall. In very middle of it all was Natsume and his mother, standing back to back yet swaying in time together and snapping their fingers.

Natsume leaned down moving her shoulders, motioning for Lambo to join her in grabbing her free hand, where she spun him and had him stepping along with her. Next was I-pin who was spun in and Fuuta was last.

Bianchi sat at one of the couches, lightly swaying to the beat of the song, smiling and shaking her head when one of the kids squealed loudly in glee or did an odd little jig. (Currently Lambo was trying to do what he had seen some dancers do on tv but was just spinning himself in circles on the floor.)

"What's, uh, what's happening?" Takeshi asked curious as to the mini dance party going on. It was a first for them to come in on this type of scene.

"It's been awhile since  _Mama's_ decided to do something like this."

When was the last time his mother had done this? Was it the last time his dad had come down to visit? He gestured for Takeshi and Hayato to come in, both of them not knowing what to think, following after Tsuna who took a seat on the arm of the couch that Bianchi was on.

"So what brought this on?" Tsuna was surprised he didn't hear Hayato nearly dying at the sight of his sister, but he would look at that later.

Bianchi shrugged, both of them turned to look at the sound that left Natsume as the next song began to play, much more alternative than the last one. "Your mother was finishing up in cleaning and decided to put some music on, when Natsume got home it became this."

There was a put out sigh from his sister when Nana changed the song, the girl throwing herself on the floor and just sitting there as she pouted up at her mom, who started voguing, which then transitioned into a short jig were she shimmied to the side and spun, snapping her fingers to pass it off to his sister.

Natsume gapped at their mother and shook her head as she stood up and pointed at Nana and pointed her thumb down. With the straightest face she could keep, his sister stuck out her pointer and middle finger in a v-shape and began to draw them over her eyes while bopping her head in time with her hand motions.

She had yet to notice them, so it wasn't until after she finished that, followed by bumping her right hip up three times and did a half spin to point at Bianchi did she notice them.

Her eyes were wide, looking absolutely flustered and she turned to her mom immediately, " _Mama, why didn't you say people were here?_ "

Tsuna snickered, if anything Natsume didn't like was other people seeing her dance, if only because she danced like a 'total idiot'. Which was true, his sister did the oddest shuffling and motions that shouldn't go with the song, but ended up making some sort of sense.

" _Mama_ ," his sister had gone up to hide behind their mom, who looked fairly amused, even as Natsume rested her head on her shoulder as she continued swaying.

" _You should be more aware Tsu-chan~_ "

" _That's mean, Mama."_

All Nana did was shrug, not at all bothered when her eldest wrapped her arms around her waist and just held on to her. Instead the woman waved over to the boys, "Come on you three!"

Takeshi instantly held up his hands, shaking his head, "I can't dance…"

"…I only know ballroom dancing," Hayato admitted, looking completely embarrassed to admit that.

"Really?" Takeshi asked, surprised.

"Yeah."

"Huh…"

Nana only hummed, tapping her fingers against Natsume's hands who let go of her so she could move over to the music player and look through her songs list, "I don't know what's popular," she admitted, scrolling idly through the silver gadget in her hand. "I really need to update this old thing."

The song she clicked on started playing and only Natsume brightened up, but still resisted to start dancing.

"Ara, Hayato-kun knows how to ballroom dance, maybe we should all give it a chance?" Nana said, setting down the silver device and smiling warmly at the boys, who of three only two fidgeted.

"Tsume- _nee_ is mine!" Fuuta called, the young boy quickly claiming Natsume who blinked at the suddenness of it, but let herself be led by the young boy into a waltz.

" _Mama,_ it's happened, my prince has finally come," she teased, biting on her tongue to keep from laughing as Fuuta blushed. The song was short and ended with Fuuta being spun.

"My turn, my turn!" Lambo began to demand grasping at Natsume's left hand which was currently free, even though he had gotten most of Natsume's attention earlier.

"Oh you two, stop being so shy," Nana went up to Takeshi, who tried to put his hands behind his back, but wasn't quick enough. "Takeshi-kun, don't worry, just follow my lead, okay?"

At that Bianchi stood up and was about to take Hayato's hand, but decided against it when she noted his pale skin and instead looked to Tsuna who offered up his arm.

" _I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream~_ "

"You're obsessed with Sleeping Beauty, Tsume."

" _Excuse you that I appreciate the shit out of that movie,"_ his sister responded in English, before she started singing along again. Somehow they all came to the agreement to spin and change partners, so Tsuna ended up with Lambo, Nana with Bianchi, and Takeshi with Natsume.

The baseball player felt even more apprehensive now, but seeing as Natsume was no longer fazed (or was it because the dancing was more structured), he decided to just follow along, the two stepping away before coming back together.

They didn't stay together long as they switched, Bianchi taking his spot and finding it not so awkward to end up with Tsuna. The two shared a look and without fail, both grabbed at Hayato when they moved to where he was and had him join in for a short second, before spinning him off towards Natsume.

The silver haired teen spluttered, but ultimately let himself be Natsume's partner since she had already spun his sister away. Her hands reached for his and without much thought he shifted so that he was in the leading position, instead of her being the one to do so.

Natsume actually laughed in surprise at one point when he lifted her off her feet at the height of the music, turning the both of them around before he set her on her feet and resumed his hold on her hand. The song ended soon after that and he pulled back, bowing to Natsume and though she wouldn't get why he was doing, he winked at her and kissed the back of her hand before turning around and giving Takeshi a smug smirk.

The baseball player merely narrowed his eyes and if anyone asked, _no_ , he wasn't pouting. Hayato counted that as a win, especially since they had dragged him into this.

"How charming~" her mother cooed, clapping her hands together, looking over all of them with a bright smile. "Oh I missed seeing my children being so loose."

Natsume and Tsuna shared a look, one scrunching up their face, while the other winced at that. Nana sighed, seeing her children's reactions, but not acknowledging them. Instead she put on one last song, a calm song with a guitar strumming in the beginning.

"How about a hug before you all go off upstairs, eh"

/ | \

After that day everything continued on as it had.

Tsuna getting his friends together on his own terms, it was a struggle sometime. They ended up butting heads more often than not, but eventually everything would be resolved, whether it be getting their pent up frustrations via physical work or just hashing it out as best as they could with their words.

Reborn more often than not oversaw them, merely guiding them every now and then to make sure they weren't doing anything too stupid.

The Hitman wouldn't outright say it, but he was proud of how far his student had come and prouder of the fact that the teen had stepped up to something he had always been reluctant about. From his last update from Vongola, Xanxus was currently under the eye of the Cervello ( _of all people)_  though the mysterious organization kept themselves well out of the man's way.

With the way things seem to have gone and the appearance of the odd women – both as proctors and now overseers of the Varia – it made Reborn wonder what exactly had been going on there. While the others had assumed that the women had been playing to the Varia's strengths, some of the things they had done and their rather sterile approach to the situations that had been presented was kind of miffing.

CEDEF had already looked into the matter, the Cervello coming out clean and being exactly who they had stated themselves to be.

Well it was somewhere in that report, Iemitsu had gotten rather long winded especially with being pretty insistent on finding out the unknown tutor that his daughter had acquired. It seemed young Basil had pointed out a few things to the twin's father and now (because Iemitsu couldn't just outright come here and start tearing through Namimori) Reborn was being pressured to find out who it was.

Pushing and prodding Natsume to come clean about something she had never lied about, only omitted would be akin to forcing Lambo to share a piece of grape candy.

Either a migraine inducing journey on the best of days or simply impossible on the worst of days.

From what he had gathered from Tsuna, the girl would eventually come around with her teacher, _when_ , he didn't know, but he would rather wait for that than force the issue.

He had already tried that and had been redirected countless times. As prideful as he was and chaffing a little at not being able to find out something, Reborn knew when he should keep his nose out of things.

This was one of them.

" _Sawada-kun~~_ "

There was a choked sound and Reborn resisted the urge to sigh.

When Longchamp had returned three weeks ago Natsume had gotten into the habit of grabbing the teen in a chokehold before he could try to 'glomp' her as he had tried various times to do. Reborn was sure it was the only way for Natsume to deal with the boy after he had boastfully presented her a gift in front of their class, making rumors spread that they were secretly dating.

It was amusing to see that Natsume actually wore the Minnie Mouse ears with the leopard print bow (as obnoxious as it looked), but served her well to keep her hair out of her face when she was doing chores around the house. The frame of the Fairy Godmother silhouette from Pinocchio was put up in her room, right over her desk, along with a note that had made the girl smile crookedly as she rolled her eyes after reading it.

(No one had read the note and when Tsuna had tried to find out what it said, he had found himself, along with Takeshi and Hayato in an odd situation.)

Reborn moved towards the small group that had gathered, blinking cutely up at Hana who shivered at that, before turning his gaze to the twin's. Natsume let go of Longchamp, the girl rolling her eyes as the blond began to whine at the treatment.

"Hey little guy are you lost?" Kyoko asked, crouching down to be closer to his level.

Reborn heard Tsuna sigh, he could see Natsume give him a deadpanned look from over Kyoko's shoulder and he just smiled even brighter up at her.

" _Maman_ said the Sawada's would be taking care of me."

Judging by the exasperated sighs that followed that and Kyoko cooing at him for being so adorable, Reborn knew that at least somethings hadn't changed.

(He would eventually figure out how the twin's always knew it was him while everyone else was so easily fooled.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the little fun dance scene, I don't remember the music I was listening too, but it was for sure some 80s or late 70s. How am I assuming this? Because Nana passed those quirky dance moves to her daughter. I can for sure guarantee Walk Like an Egyptian was one of them. Anyways the Sleeping Beauty one, is what is it, but its Valse from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty Suite.
> 
> I've gotten a couple questions about Natsume's Guardian potentials or if she'll actually have any and at the moment that's not a thing, mostly because Natsume has outrighted stated that she's not interested.
> 
> Uhh, i feel like I'm forgetting something...and as always I can't remember what it is.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or stuff.**

**Word Count:** 9235

* * *

"You wouldn't."

Natsume stared down the stair case, mouth pursed in thought before slowly nodding and looking back at Hayato who put a lot of effort in not putting his face into his hands.

"This is a bad idea."

"There's a cushion at the bottom, if anything happens I'll hopefully land on that."

"You want to float down stairs, what if you don't?"

"Excuse you I can float in place."

"Have you tried moving?"

There was a deep inhale, "This is why I'm doing this…" Natsume gestured around the home, "In a controlled environment."

Hayato gave the girl a deadpanned look to which she gave him open mouthed smile and a thumbs up, "I'll walk beside you until your imminent demise," sure the swat he received hurt, but he knew she really believed in putting out negative and positive energy and he wasn't exactly helping.

He watched as she prepared herself, her left hand coming up to rest on his shoulder, and then raised her right leg, the back of her heel resting against the front of her shin. Pretending as if she was holding herself up on railings, she picked up her left leg and crossed it behind her right leg. Her toes barely touched the floor and Hayato could almost pinpoint the moment she had settled whatever thought, because she brought her legs up even higher and acted as if she was sitting criss cross on the floor.

She still kept her hand on his shoulder and once she opened her eyes she brought it down into her lap, looking at both her position and judging the downward movement.

"You should do magic tricks at the school carnival next year," he said, taking one step down and waiting for her to move with him.

"Hmph," was all he got as she slowly floated her way over to him.

They had made it half way down when the back door was opened violently, a loud crash accompanying the sound of Lambo's giggling. Concentration ruined, Hayato missed Natsume as she plomped down onto the stairs and watched as she slid down the stairs and onto the cushion at the base.

" _Ow."_

"And it would have gone well if it wasn't for those kids."

Natsume shushed him, moving on the cushion enough so that she was on her side glaring up at Hayato who took a seat on the last step. The silver haired teen rested his arms against his knees and waited until she was sitting up, before telling her what he had noted.

"I think the hardest thing for you will be doing it while there are distractions like that going on," he told her, his right thumb idly rubbing the back of his brass ring on his ring finger.

"Yeah," she agreed, twisting one way, her back cracking at the movement, before she did it again the other way. A sigh left her and she looked back at him, "Well I just wanted to test that, so what did you want to do?"

Hayato shrugged, lightly toeing the edge of the cushion, "What do you think I can do?" he wiggled his ring finger, bringing attention to the ring.

"Storm is corrosive, not that you have to be, but it literally eats up everything in its path," and they had proven that a few days ago when Natsume had handed him a metal pipe her mother had taken out of the garden and handed it to him. "But that's if you let it run like it wants too, have you tried controlling it for yourself?"

"It's…difficult."

"It's not supposed to be easy," Natsume's tone sounded as if she was chastising him. She moved from her spot and up beside him, bumping her shoulder with his. "It's not going to happen in a few days or hell even a few months, do you know how long I've been at this?"

"A while?"

"Almost two years, Hayato," she answered. "And what's worked for me probably won't work for you,  _this,_ "she held out her palm, indigo flames spurring in the center of it. "This is all about  _you_ and finding yourself."

Natsume was about to say something else when she felt the pull and she resigned herself to floating unwillingly in the air as Hayato front flipped from moving too fast and giving himself momentum through the air.

"Fuuta!" Natsume called out, not knowing what the boy was doing, but assuming he had found something interesting to rank.

There was a pause, a murmured 'sorry' and Hayato found himself falling face first into the cushion.

"Awe! Lambo wanted to know what the best place to get grape candy in Namimori was!"

There was a snort from Natsume as she gave the grumbling Hayato a pitiful look, before she pushed herself up and towards the sound of three voices starting to argue.

"The best place for candy in general is the shop at the edge of town and I've already said I'll be taking you there one of these days."

"But if Lambo knows the name, he can go himself!"

"Uh, no, you crazy," she lightly poked the six year old's forehead, before ruffling Fuuta's hair, who almost whined. "And you," she flicked his nose, before bringing her hand to her chest, "Keep it in, not out."

"I'm trying, it's getting better."

There was a scoff behind her from Hayato and Natsume shook her head, giving Fuuta a smile, "Time will show us that."

"…that sounds very ominous Tsume- _nee."_

"Also this noogie is pretty ominous don't you think?" Fuuta could only squeal as Natsume put him in a headlock and began to give the boy a noogie.

Hayato sighed, moving onto his back as he wondered how Natsume could flit between being so serious and being a total dork.

_Intermission 22_

_The first time I met Sawada Tsunayoshi was when I had been heading to the music store to check out the new CDs and to study in the small lounge area they had._

_The second time he was with a girl who looked similarly like him, followed by a few small children – one wearing a suit and fedora, the other a cow print outfit, another wearing more traditional clothes and a boy that wore a long, blue striped scarf._

_The child in the cow print outfit had started having a one sided argument with the kid wearing the fedora. The one that ended up calming him down was the girl that was with Tsunayoshi, easily picking up the child and pointing out some shop that instantly got his attention._

_Not really noticing what shop it was exactly, I went into the candy store that my sister had sent me to pick up an order she had made. Not long after I went in, the door opened and in came the girl and the cow print wearing child._

" _You'll have to share if you get candy, Lambo," I heard the girl say to the child, who grumbled something but ultimately agreed._

_I chanced a glance at her, something about her both familiar and not._

_It was like when I had run into Tsunayoshi the first time, but with Tsuna he had been easy to recognize and the girl, well, she just made me uneasy._

_I didn't know that I had been staring, but a tug at my pants had me looking down at a scowling child, his bright green eyes narrowed at me, "Why are you staring at my_ Ane  _like that?_ "

_I blinked, not at all expecting that and not getting a chance to answer because the girl came up and offered me an apology, seeming completely sheepish as she gave me an awkward half smile._

" _Lambo, apologize for bothering him."_

_The kid pouted, sticking out his upper lip, and I first thought he wasn't going to do it, until the girl flicked the back of his head and he grumbled out an apology._

" _Sorry for that, you have a good one."_

_The third time, well, I didn't exactly see Tsunayoshi, but it was the kid that had been with him and the girl._

_Ranbo was it? I don't know how it happened, but I had been home alone and all of a sudden there's an explosion that rocks my building and a small shape crashed into my window, scattering glass everywhere._

_I screamed, toppling off the couch._

_My stomach was already cramping up due to the explosion, now this? I had no clued how I managed it but I crawled over to the other couch that was set up on the other side of the room that would make it easier to make a run for if I had too._

_I hid as the figure or whatever it was cackled something in a foreign language. There was a pop sound, that had me peeking to see what had happened and in the place of the small figure, there was a much taller one that uttered something unintelligible._

_I watched from my hiding spot as the figure began to clean up the mess in my kitchen, all the while muttered something under their breath. A sharp pain in my stomach had me gasping and I covered my mouth too late as the figure turned, eyes searching for the sound until they landed on me._

_For a second they blinked slowly, before they were glowing brightly and I felt myself choke on my spit at the sudden pressure in the room._

"You!"

_Before they could step any closer there was a knock on the door, followed by another pop and the tall figure was replaced by the young child, who looked around the room confused. Completely ignoring me the child decided to leave out the way he had come in, easily hopping out the window and disappearing from view._

_I shuddered, feeling the urge to vomit from how fluttery my stomach was feeling and the constant cramps. With a shaky breath and trying to calm myself seeing as everything was already over, I pushed myself up after a few minutes and headed to the door._

_Someone_ had  _knocked and hadn't bothered to do so again._

_When I opened the door there was no one there._

_Just a medium sized box with the front of it looking as if it had smashed against something harshly. (Had someone….thrown this? Or had his sister ordered something from overseas again, those usually tended to come in pretty beat up after all that transport.)_

_Hesitantly I brought the box in and wondered what Akiko had bought. Since my sister had opened my last package, it was only fair that I opened hers. So imagine my surprise when I open the box and beneath the pasta noodles, boxed wine and olive oil, there's a couple stacks of cash and in another much smaller box, labelled with_ 'reserve ammo for Lambo, please deliver'  _with a ton of actual ammunition and a few choice weapons that really made me question_ what the hell was going on?!

_I don't know how I didn't straight up freak out right then and there, instead I carefully took one out, noting that it was the length of my hand.. They weren't that bulky, it had an arrow head shape to it and was surprisingly a lot lighter than it looked._

_There were nine more in the box and as I was about to put back the tenth one when it slipped out of my hand and landed on the floor tip first._

_The small pop-like explosion that followed and the gut wrenching feeling of being yanked off my feet and hurled through the air was not something I would like to experience again. So when my feet hit solid ground, my knees buckled and my stomach emptied itself of the little lunch I had had earlier without a problem._

_I coughed, rubbing at my eyes as I spit out the remaining taste in my mouth. Blearily I looked around the small apartment I was in, completely different from my parents. I noted the awards on the wall._

_Music awards._

_With_ my  _name on it._

_I gapped, completely forgetting about the mess I had made and striding over to get a closer look, thinking that my eyes were playing a trick on me._

_Nope._

_Along with the awards there were a few pictures of me, looking much older and confident with a man with white hair and a lilac colored tattoo under his eyes. My stomach felt queasy the moment I noticed the man, but I didn't pay much mind as I looked over everything else._

_I was about to look over a white uniform when I felt a tug at my naval again and once again fell to the floor, but luckily this time I didn't throw up._

"… _was…that my future? What…" I launched myself at the box again, picking out another of the ammo. My hand hovered over the piece of paper that definitely hadn't been there before and I picked it up, wondering when I had written this and why it was in the box now._

**.Beware of Byakuran.**

_Part 55: Riddle Me That_

The school break was more than welcomed and Tsuna found it funny that the white board his sister had placed in his room, noting that the ' _Number of Days without a Mafia Incident'_ was at fifty. Said sister was not found at the house at the moment, having gone over to Hana's for a sleepover the day before and would be staying there for a couple of days.

He had gotten a phone, curtesy of Dino once again, since the blond Boss wanted to stay in touch with him. The Cavallone Boss had made sure that the phone was waterproof and was pretty much indestructible (he had proven this by chucking it down the top of the staircase and then later on shooting a bullet into it, which had just dented the bullet casing.)

One day he would be able to repay Dino and his generosity, even if he knew the older man was more than happy to just help him along.)

Tsuna would be lying if he said he hadn't been texting his sister, though it was mostly just him sending pictures to annoy her and so she would remember to call their mother to make sure everything was alright. Not something that would have been insisted on a year or so ago, but now it was just a way to ease their minds.

Even if Natsume was more than capable of taking care of herself and getting away in the most ridiculous manner.

There was a shout out in the hallway that pulled him out of his thoughts. Hearing Lambo and I-pin arguing, with Fuuta trying to get them to stop had Tsuna sighing, though he couldn't help the small smile.

He pushed himself off his bed and opened his door enough so that he could stick his head out and look at the three. Fuuta gave him an exasperated look, Lambo merely continued on, something about how I-pin shouldn't be touching his things and that it wasn't nice of her to misplace his things.

It probably had something to do with the box that came the day before. Why the Bovino's sent care packages to Lambo, Tsuna wouldn't understand, especially since they hadn't bothered phoning in to actually see if the boy was okay.

The Bovino's in general were a weird famiglia. At first they hadn't cared at all about Lambo, hadn't bothered to keep in contact with the boy who they had given an impossible mission. Now that Lambo had been presented as one of his Guardians, the Bovino's hadn't exactly tried to get in touch with the boy, but they had started sending 'care' packages.

('Care' package meaning that Lambo had been restocked on his weapons and ammunition, along with a plush that looked like it had seen better days, though had instantly gotten his attention. The picture of that moment was on his mother's camera and would one day be used to embarrass Lambo in front of any future girlfriends.)

That and the amount of money that had been recently deposited into his account was ridiculous. He took the amount out and with a little help from the banker that was available, set up a savings account for Lambo.

"Lambo, I-pin, everything alright?" he asked, getting the two kids attention.

" _I-pin lost_   _Gnocchi!_ "

"I put him back!" the young girl finally blurted out, sounding on the verge of tears. "Its not I-pin's fault if Lambo can't find his things!"

"Why don't we look for Gnocchi then?"

Lambo sniffed and muttered something that Tsuna didn't quite catch, so Fuuta cleared it up for him, "We have Tsuna-nii and we can't find Gnocchi anywhere."

"I-pin put him back on Lambo's bed."

A distinct  _meow_ caught Tsuna's attention. Emi froze as she reached the top of the step, amber eyes roving over all of them, ears twitching as if it was in thought before slinking past all of them and pushing herself up against Natsume's door. When none of them moved to open it, the cat cast them all an unimpressed look before moving on and heading to the kid's room.

Tsuna puffed his cheeks, "Where does Emi usually keep her toys?"

"She likes to hide things underneath Tsume-nee's bed," Fuuta answered after a bit of thought. "I found my star socks there after they went missing and Tsume-nee cleaned her room."

Did he want to brave Natsume's room? The last time he had gone in there he learned what it was like to get stuck to the ceiling as did Hayato and Takeshi. Lucky for them they had hung up over Natsume's bed, so when they had figured out how to get out of that mess they landed on something soft.

"Let me check," Tsuna sighed after seeing the hopeful look in Lambo's eye. He stepped out of his room and went to Natsume's door, fingers lightly touching the door knob. Before he twisted it he sent out a steady flow of his flame through the metal and feeling a ' _click'_ he turned the knob. He continued to focus on keeping a steady flame, flaring it out slightly so that he was recognized by whatever trap Natsume had set.

He got on his knees, pressing his face against the wooden floor once he stood by her bed and just as Fuuta had said, Lambo's plush was in the middle of the accumulating dust bunnies. He reached out, happy that his reach was more now as his fingers pinched the soft material and dragged it towards him.

Tsuna quickly stepped out of his sister's room, closing the door behind him and breathing out a sigh of relief. There was a cheer from Lambo and Tsuna looked from the happy six year old giving the boy a knowing look before he gestured to I-pin.

Lambo pouted, but he turned to the girl, "I'm sorry I-pin," he apologized quietly. I-pin patted him on the shoulder and accepted the boy's quiet thanks.

"Next time believe I-pin, Lambo."

Tsuna wryly smiled at that, taking his eyes off the pair as he looked down at the beat up white rhinoceros in his hands, before handing it off to the boy, "Make sure that's somewhere that silly cat won't take it."

The plush wasn't that big, just half the size of Emi herself. He wondered when exactly the cat had made off with the toy and how she had snuck off with it, when the cats bell collar jingled as she came out of the kid's bedroom a black sock with little moon's in her mouth.

"My socks!" Fuuta cried, "Stop taking my socks, Emi!"

It also made Tsuna wonder when this habit started up. A question for Natsume to find the answer too when she came back….on second thought, Tsuna pulled out his phone and took a picture of Fuuta trying to get the sock out of the cat's mouth.

' _Since when is your cat a thief?'_

/ | \

Hana glanced from the glittering green flames in her hands to Natsume who was checking her phone after the message tone had gone off.

"Awe, Emi's so cute~"

"You're so helpful," Hana muttered, brow furrowed as she tried to get the lightening-like fire in her hands to do something other than make her hand tingle. Natsume sighed, closing her phone and chucking it onto her bed before giving Hana her full attention.

"I mean you asked if you could do the same and here is proof that you can," Natsume said, leaning forward, her right hand coming up, pointer finger lit with her own fire and prodding at the sparking mess. "I'm here to help you expand on ideas," she lifted her finger up at this point, lightening following after her flames before it sputtered out. "But you really haven't answered my questions."

Hana closed her glowing hand into a fist, the usually clear crystal in her hand maintaining a light green hue so if she wanted to spark or chuck it at Natsume it would at least explode and shock the girl.

(It had happened once and she wanted to know how it had happened. Natsume had refused to let her have a third crystal and merely directed her to Shiro's Antiques where she got a few for herself.)

"What practical use can these be?" Hana asked, opening up her palm, tilting it so that the quartz would roll off and down into her left hand below. "It's  _lightening_ Natsume, you get more out of hurting people than anything else."

"If you think they're more for hurting people, then maybe you should consider what they can do to help people."

Hana considered what she asked, her face falling into her right hand as one answer came to her. "I am a walking defibrillator machine."

"A what?"

Hana straightened up, "You know the ones they use in the hospital to get a patient's heart to contract if they've suffered from a heart attack or something."

Natsume flattened her hands together, rubbed them and then pressed them against her chest and went  _"Clear?_ "

The dark haired girl gave her friend a blank stare, which earned her a sheepish smile, "I'm just going to say yes."

"I'm not the one who has a mom as a nurse, nor am I the one considering medical school," Natsume shrugged, snatching the stone out of Hana's palm and holding it up above her head. "What else do you think of?"

It was Hana's turn to shrug, running her right hand through her hair, "I honestly don't know, I'm still getting used to the idea that I can do this, let alone use it to hurt people."

Natsume made a disagreeing sound, her hand coming down, resting in her lap as she gave Hana a confused look, "You don't have to hurt people,  _y'know,_ unless they're trying to hurt you, then just zap them away Pikachu."

Natsume paused, blinking at what she said. Hana just stared, before starting, " _Don't you –_ "

"Your nickname is now Pikachu," Natsume breathed out, moving to get up and reach for her phone to change her name officially. The dark haired girl tackled her, moving before actually thinking and as the two hit the floor, Natsume on her side and Hana's arms around her to hold her down, the girl gave her a pleading pout, " _Hana,_ for me, just for me, please, can we try to recreate thunderbolt?"

" _No._ "

Seriously with all her time being eaten up, how did Natsume have the time to play half the games she did? And of all things to recreate!

(She'd rather mimic Sailor Jupiter before she mimicked a small little rodent.)

/ | \

It was nearing the start up to the last quarter of the school year and Shoichi had somehow managed to forget – if only for a moment – about the strange box that he had gotten from the Bovino.

Or more like he had just kept it, because they definitely weren't for him.

_Also_ what kind of people expected someone like  _him_ to deliver it to who it was originally intended for? He was thirteen and who knew what would happen if he was caught by someone carrying all those weapons around!

( _Who in their right mind sent a package of grenades, guns of varying sizes and weird as hell ammunition as a care package…..TO JAPAN OF ALL PLACES?_ )

"So much for getting that out of my head," he mumbled to himself, running his hands through his hair and sighing as he gave up on his current report. Standing up from his desk, he headed to his closet opened it and dragged out the box he had shoved back there weeks ago.

He had messed with the odd contraptions ( _could they be considered bullets?_ ) a second time ( _because curiosity did kill the cat_ ) and he found himself in a mechanic's shop, with all types of different technology lining the walls. He didn't understand how time could go by so fast, he hadn't had the chance to check out the large automated machine before he felt the tug around his naval and he was back in his room.

**.Be careful with your choices.**

That current note lay somewhere under his notebooks and he really wondered what the person leaving those notes was trying to tell him. With a sigh, Shoichi picked out the strange ammo, his mind unable to wrap around the abilities of such a simple looking thing.

Really all he was happy about was that his current interests still aligned themselves with whatever was happening in the future. He just kind of wished he could tell Spanner about the things he'd seen and how they could possibly recreate them at this moment in time.

But then Spanner would wonder where he got the ideas from, so he could check them over himself and Shoichi wasn't sure how to explain

' _Oh yeah, a weird bullet thing took me to some odd place, which I think is the future, and I saw it there!_ '

That was one way to alienate his friend and he wasn't about to even bother seeing how much weird Spanner could handle. Shoichi was barely able to do it himself at the current moment.

"Oh shoot," his watch beeped loudly and he twitched violently as he was snapped out of his thoughts. His reaction wasn't a good one seeing as he loosened his grip on the bullet and dropped it on himself.

Again.

When he felt solid ground beneath his bottom again, he was happy that he didn't puke this time, but when he opened his eyes the feeling did come up.

The world around him was in utter destruction, some buildings were crumbled, others were barely standing. People didn't seem to notice him as they walked on by, heads hung and just trying their best not to catch attention.

Shoichi frowned as he pushed himself up, hugging himself as he felt his hands begin to tremble, his nerves acting up. On the buildings that were still semi decent, were large screens that showed a similar situation going on in the rest of the world.

When the tugging sensation came up again, a white haired man appeared on screen, giving a false smile, lilac eyes seeming amused and at the same time piercing right through him.

" _The world is a much better place when people follow what they are told to do. There is no struggle, no worry, just a job that must be done and an order that needs to be completed."_ Those words made Shoichi feel sick to his stomach even as he felt himself being pulled away, he could have sworn the white haired man looked directly at him and gave him a sharp smirk.  _"Don't you agree Sho-"_

"Shoichi? What was that sound?"

Oh his sister just got home and was heading this way, judging by how her footsteps were getting. He shoved the box back into his closet, quickly taking out his cellphone and turning on a ringtone that could be passed off as the 'popping' sound that could pass off as the one of his displacement.

"It was my phone, Akiko!"

"Huh, stop tinkering with the volume on that thing! It was really loud," she knocked on his door, but instead of opening it up she walked away, footsteps fading. "Mom and Dad are going to be late tonight, want to go get take out?"

"S-sure," he managed out, before quietly sighing in relief.

Pushing himself up, he headed back to his desk only to curiously blink as his laptop, which had been closed, was opened up and logged in. A blinking light to the side of it and a USB that he had no clue how it got there was plugged in.

Clicking on one of the windows that popped up asking to open it, Shoichi was greeted to a portfolio filled with files. The main one that grabbed his attention was the one labelled Sawada Tsunayoshi. Curious he clicked the file open, clicking on one of the images available, he was completely shocked to see a much older Tsunayoshi, a lazy smirk on his features as he looked to be listening to the blond man beside him.

_-Sawada Tsunayoshi, twenty five years old._

- _Current Don of Vongola, speaking with the Don of Cavallone._

_-Subject is being observed_

The other pictures in the file were set up in the same manner, along with the other names listed in main portfolio. He found out that the girl he had been with a few weeks ago was Tsunayoshi's sister, his elder twin to be exact and was suspicious of being a person called  _'La Strega Nera'_  but there wasn't any evidence to support it.

By the end of it all, Shoichi felt dirty for knowing half the stuff he did without having ever met or even heard of half of these people.

The last file was labelled  _Last Resort_ and if he hadn't been freaking out, he would have thought the title funny since it was the name of a song that Spanner had showed him awhile back. Something about a Roach, the thought was cast aside as he read the beginning which was addressed directly to him.

His eyes read every word, once he finished he knew if he looked at the mirror his eyes would be wide and  _oh no_ , he didn't feel good. Clutching his stomach and trying to breath in hopes of calming down the aches, Shoichi reread the last nine,

' _Of the original ten bazooka bullets, you should have seven left by this time._

_Be sure to strictly follow this and do it._

_I am begging you, please._

_What you've seen is a possible future for us and I'd rather be able to do something about it, than sit around and wait for it to come around._

_So please, Shoichi, younger me – do this._

_Please._

_Maybe this way I can redeem myself in the eyes of God.'_

He felt queasy and unusually flushed. He closed his laptop shut and walked out of his room, hoping to get to his medicine before anything else happened.

"Shoichi are you okay? You're as pale as a sheet!" He felt himself being steered away and sat on the couch by his sister, a glass of water put in his hands and a pill in another one a few seconds later. His sister was surprisingly nice enough to help guide the cup to his mouth and he took the pill after the first gulp of water.

A few minutes ticked by as he got his bearings, still feeling unsteady, but not as much as before.

"You want to tell me what's got you all hyped up like this?"

Shoichi lightly shook his head, sighing as he slouched back against the couch, spilling a bit of water on himself.

"I shouldn't have left my reports till the last minute," he muttered pathetically, waiting for the moment to be called out on his lie.

His sister scoffed and he looked to her in time to catch her rolling her eyes at him, "For someone so smart Shoichi, you can be so lazy." She tapped him lightly against his forehead, before she stood up, giving him a look over and deciding that he would be fine. "If you want I can go pick up some food for later."

Shoichi nodded numbly, merely sighing as his sister's words played in his head.

' _For someone so smart….'_

What had he gotten himself into?

_Part 56: Time Flies When You Least Expect it_

"You're going to do fine on the exam Takeshi," Natsume nudged the baseball player. Takeshi looked up from his cards and grimaced. She returned his pained smile with a flat look, "Its history and if anything all the answers are on the paper, you just have to circle the right one."

Takeshi sighed, tapping his fingers against the back of his cards, before he stopped shuffling them around, "I'm just not the best writer under pressure."

His last couple tests hadn't been so bad, but seeing as Hishida-sensei had said there was going to be a written portion that would be worth more than the multiple choice, it had him more than a little nervous. Thankfully Hishida-sensei had given them four questions to look over, two of which would be on the test.

Natsume prodded his side, shaking her head at him, "You'll be fine, you studied with Tsuna, if anything I'll be surprised if nothing stuck with how much I heard him rambling last night."

Tsuna had gone off on one of the points they had been studying which if he remembered right had had to do with World War II. The brunet had not been happy to note that his current school textbook had toned down what exactly Japan had done during those years and had proceeded to throw said book across the room.

Tsuna had left his room, leaving him and Hayato staring at each other a bit confused, though even Hayato did look a bit peeved. Tsuna returned soon with Reborn in his arms and set him down and asked the tiny hitman to help them finish studying for history.

"Yeah…you don't think Hishida-sensei would dock points if we go from outside the book do you?"

"He shouldn't," Natsume answered, crossing her arms beneath her small chest, "But if he does, Reborn can always come in dressed up as your overly concerned big sister and have a talk with him about it."

Takeshi blinked, confused at that, "Why would Reborn do that?"

Natsume who was going up the steps paused near the top, brow furrowed as she considered if he really wanted the answer to that, "You do know that Reborn likes to dress up right?"

Takeshi was sure he would have realized if Reborn liked dressing up or not, if anything the only clothes he'd seen the small tutor was either in his suit or pajamas. "You're kidding, the kid does like that kind of stuff?"

"Yes," he heard her muttered as he caught up with her after she started walking away. "He's done it various times and shown up in front of you like that."

"No way."

Natsume made a choked sound, shaking her head once again, before she patted his arm, "I'll point it out to you the next time he does it, otherwise good luck on your exam."

" _Sawada-kun~~ How's my favorite Prince doing today?_ "

Longchamp's voice kind of grated against Takeshi's ears as he heard him call after Natsume, who greeted the blond back, though not as excitedly. Maybe if Natsume was just used to the blond's energy in the morning, she'd be more willing to chat, but since the teen came and went as he pleased, she couldn't exactly do that.

Takeshi sat in his desk, setting his note cards on top as he put his messenger bag down on the floor. He idly picked up a card, not really taking in his messy writing, but kind of getting the gist of what was written.

Maybe Natsume's willingness to get along with other people just happened because she felt comfortable, or maybe….

"Don't sweat it Takeshi," Tsuna's voice spooked him out of his thoughts and Takeshi gave the brunet a sheepish smile.

"You scared me Tsuna."

A more concerned look was aimed in his direction, the brunet about to say something, only for the sensei to walk in and all Takeshi got was Tsuna's hand on his shoulder, which he gave a brief squeeze. Feeling a little more settled after that, Takeshi put away his notecards into his bag, barely listening to his Ito-sensei.

Something about being prepared for this last week's exams and to not only study, but to rest and take care of themselves as well. After that he thanked them all for a good year and announced that he wouldn't be coming in for the rest of the week and probably wouldn't see them until the new school year.

When Hishida-sensei walked in, Takeshi took a deep breath as the test was placed before him. Looking over the questions, even the written ones, he mentally berated himself.

He had been freaking out for nothing.

/ | \

The one week vacation before the start of their third and final year had Reborn realizing that it would be almost two years since he had come along to Namimori.

A lot had changed, though not many would have noticed it.

The twin's had grown taller, features becoming sharper as they lost the pudginess of their youth. As close as they had once been, they weren't as much anymore. Sure many would say the first thing about them was how close they were for siblings, but time and the countless issues that had arisen had started pushing them apart.

Tsuna was still insistent on keeping his sister out of being directly involved with Vongola. Since starting the weekly hang out sessions he had with his friends (who also doubled as his Guardians) he had been leaning less and less on Natsume.

On one hand it was satisfying to see Tsuna grow and be able to stand for himself, on the other hand it was kind of bittersweet.

Natsume had found one lone element, Hana and though Kyoko would have been a good Rain for her, she had unknowingly rebuffed the girl, not really interested in what she had had to offer. He did notice her going off to Kokuyo to meet up with Chrome, had even managed to convince the girl to show up once in a while to the bonding time Tsuna had with the others.

Perhaps the oddest thing was seeing Hibari of all people become close with the girl (well not exactly close, but Hibari bothered her more than he bothered Tsuna.)

Reborn knew they sparred with one another, Natsume having complained about how she missed volleyball sessions, if only because it was to give the Cloud the run around.

So it was nice to see the twin's putting their heads together one afternoon, both looking up at him before sharing a glance with one another and waving him over.

Amused, Reborn headed over and he was asked by Natsume if he could do what he did best. He only blinked at the girl, who stared back, not at all fazed by the stare that usually made others inch away if not outright run away from him.

"Why do you say that what I do best is to be outrageous?"

"Well saying you're ridiculous is a bit rude, no?" Natsume asked, biting on her lower lip to keep from laughing at the blank look he gave her.

"You two are ridiculous; I'm doing this for Nana."

"Awe, he doesn't like us," Natsume pouted, rolling her eyes as she turned to Tsuna, who only shrugged.

" _Mama_ isn't one for big things, so I think something small and simple would do," Tsuna commented, trying to help at least give some of ideas.

"Only because that's what we can afford," Natsume muttered, crossing her arms beneath her chest. "And also because Dino told Tsuna that you can pull some pretty great parties."

Ah, yes. He hadn't pulled any of the Vongola-Styled parties on them. The smile that he gave them made Natsume shift, her eyes narrowing at him and Tsuna just sigh, mumbling something about regretting this decision, before he nodded.

Reborn supposed it was time to introduce everyone to a good old fashioned Vongola Birthday Party.

/ | \

"So I have to rate them out of a hundred?" Nana asked as she was led by Bianchi, Reborn walking beside her outside to the low table that had been set out. Bianchi seated her in the middle, the cushion that she sat down was nice and plush and she got comfortable by sitting with her legs criss cross in front of her.

"The winner gets there wish to come true and the loser will be cursed for life."

"Nobody said anything about that –"

"Oh come on it can't be anything serious, it's just a game!"

"I'm going to stuff your dirty socks down your throat, how about that for a game?"

Nana chuckled, shaking her head at how rough Natsume was being with Takeshi. Judging by the sound of someone being smacked, followed by a whine, Tsuna had either reigned control or was about to be physically manhandled.

"First act up!" Reborn called out, getting the attention of the teen's and God help them if they didn't move any quicker, the sun was starting to set and he hadn't been able to get the fairy garden lights he had been hoping to get to light up the backyard a little more.

Takeshi and Hayato stepped out first, the baseball player standing at the edge of the small stage, a baseball bat in his hand. Reborn tried not to snicker as an Italian tune started playing and Hayato began to juggle dynamite of all things, doing tricks by catching some sticks behind his back or throwing them under his leg.

He managed to get one to land upright on his forehead and he stayed with his head back and before they knew it, the sticks were lit and they burned slowly. As the song came to a finish, phrases being repeated he started throwing the dynamite at Takeshi who struck them up into the sky where they exploded as if they had been fireworks.

Before the song ended, the teen seized the one on his head and threw it at Takeshi, who repeated his earlier motion and as this one exploded in the middle of the previous ones, the words  _Happy Birthday_ appeared before fizzling out.

"And that's the Tarantella," Hayato bowed, feeling his ears burn at Nana's zealous clapping. He straightened up and gestured to Takeshi, "And my helper."

Nana was handed a white board and the woman scrawled quickly to reveal an eighty-five. She gave the two boys a thumb's up and Hayato only bowed again before walking off the stage.

"Next!"

Ryohei came out next, with Hana and Kyoko behind him. Nana bit her lower lip to keep from chuckling at the trio's getup and couldn't help a snicker that left her as music started playing. There was a choked 'oh my god' as the three started singing, pulling out fans from the sleeves of the kimono's they wore.

Ryohei was the first to step out, " _Everything is a source of fun~_ "

Kyoko followed, " _Nobody's safe for we care none."_

And last was Hana, " _Life is a joke that's just begun,"_ and they came together, " _Three little maid's from school~"_

Surprisingly the three did a good job, more so the little extra movement's they did and the flourishes they managed with the fans. Nana wouldn't put it out of character for Ryohei to be dragged into this, all Kyoko-chan had to do was ask nicely and the white haired boy would do his best to pull off whatever his sister wanted.

How Hana was dragged into it, Nana didn't know, but judging by the wheezing laughter of her eldest, someone had goaded or tricked the other to do so.

The three bowed once they finished and Nana quickly wrote out an eighty-eight.

Fuuta, I-pin and Lambo went up next and the three, Fuuta acting as the narrator as Lambo and I-pin acted out a scene. She hadn't really understood the context, but still found it adorable and gave them an eighty.

Natsume came out next, a small ukulele in her hand. Nana could see her fingers shaking as she held the instrument upright and began to strum up and down, the fingers of her left hand pressing down on the strings.

" _Isn't she lovely, isn't she wonderful?"_

The tiny 'oh' that escaped her as she remembered her Uncle singing this to her when she was little had Nana covering her mouth with her right hand, in hopes of containing any more sounds. Reborn watched the absolute fondness and love cross Nana's features, how the women just wanted to go up there and sway along with her daughter.

" _That's so very lovely made with love,"_ Natsume finished off, voice hitching in the end and seeming just a tad embarrassed, but she stood long enough to bow to her mother. The girl didn't note her score, though Reborn did get it down, a solid ninety.

By the time it was Tsuna and Takeshi's turn, the sun had already set. The two having expecting this they had brought out small tea light candles and two long ones that they had attached to a candle holder. Seven candles were left lit on the floor, while the two main ones were in either boy's hands.

"The story begins with a warrior, wrongly accused and imprisoned _,"_ Tsuna began, bringing the light of the candle closer to his face so it could cast a bit of an eerie glow.

"Death was in their future, until the king appeared. A long stare and the king claimed to have dreamt of them."

"Tales of untold deeds, that filled the king with hopes that brought memories of the son he couldn't keep. He knew the path he was heading down was one of his assured death. The warrior was left with words to consider."

" _To do as the Gods had granted the King to see, or to lead as they have always done_? That was the question they asked themselves, though the answer was already in front of them. An escape, a second chance," Takeshi murmured, eyes shining brightly in the candle light.

And there tale was continued, Nana raptured in the story her son and his friend weaved, as well of the others. Reborn had caught on to what the two were doing and applauded the duo – the flames they had lit in the candles were not ordinary and the mixture of a soothing rain and the call of a sky got the attention of all those present.

When the two ended, they bowed and gestured out to Haru who stood up from where she sat with Kyoko and nodded her head, "It wouldn't have happened if Haru hadn't helped us write this."

The girl blushed and Nana clapped, acknowledging the girl's talents.

"Ninety-five," Reborn read out as Nana wrote out the score.

Before Reborn could continue to announce that Vongola would grant them their wish, Nana put a hand against his back to get his attention, "If you could excuse me Reborn," Nana said to him. She looked up at everyone and gave them all a bright smile, "I believe everyone here is a winner, I'd like for them all to be considered."

' _They have done something very few have ever done, surely there's a way to treat them all for what they had worked for?_ '

"Whatever auntie wishes."

"Aww, Reborn."

The kids were lucky he hadn't tried to outdo them, all it would have taken for him to win was one word He ignored the snickering as Nana scooped him up and hugged him tightly along with Natsume's comments of ' _I told you so_ ' he would get her back eventually.

For now, the rest of the night would continue on in the high spirits it was in.

_Part 57: Journey's Begin_

Perhaps it had been a bit foolish on his behalf to believe that everything had calmed down. Nana's thirty-ninth birthday had just been celebrated last weekend and his student's had just started their third year of middle school.

The peacefulness of Namimori had lulled him enough that he wasn't as worried to watch his back. He knew the people around the area, knew their backgrounds and ways to make them crumble in an instant if they ever tried anything against him or his student's.

But Namimori had always been peaceful, rarely had he ever had to lift a finger to deal with them. No, the only people that ever needed to be dealt with were the outsiders and Tsuna and the others had done that more than he had.

A shadow washed over him, his body freezing and refusing to obey the simple command. A whispered ' _I'm sorry'_ and he felt something drop on him, a small pop and a harsh tug around his navel.

He felt displaced for a second and when his feet touched solid floor, he was able to move, before he fell over, feeling as if gravity was too heavy and his skin was on fire. Reborn didn't know how long he stayed there like that, it wasn't until he felt someone approach him and briefly turn him over, and only to be swept up like the child he was.

"Prepare the infirmary, patient to receive two doses of  _Nusyxs_ to stall radiation," Reborn couldn't place the voice, not knowing anyone with such a deep baritone. " _I repeat,_ prepare the infirmary, the patient is one of the arcobaleno."

The sense that gravity was about to crush him eased, but it had left him feeling very weak. He still didn't know who was carrying him and where to, but they were trying to help him.

"Don't worry Reborn-san," the figure assured him as if sensing his unease. "We here at the Namimori Vongola base will make sure you recover."

Since when did Namimori have a Vongola base?

"Kusakabe-san bring the patient over here and procced to the screening room," this voice was much more familiar, if a little more snappish than usual.

"How long have we known each other now Hana?"

Could it be?

Reborn was gently laid down on his back, his fedora being taken off and he was able to see that the boy that had hung around as Hibari's second was no longer that and that Hana was definitely a lot older than he last had seen her.

"Follow protocol, we are on duty," she waved him off, turning away and focusing her attention on Reborn. "I'll be the first to apologize for the way you came here," Hana began, putting on the stethoscope, pressing the round metal against his chest. "Inoue the vaccinations need to be given  _now."_

"Pardon me," came the soft voice of red haired woman, who handed two syringes to Hana, the short haired woman shaking her head evenas she let this Inoue begin to take his clothes off. "Your clothing will be cleaned and returned once we're sure they're no longer contaminated."

"While you're at that call one of the Guardians in, won't you?" Hana opened one of the cabinets nearby, pulling on gloves and getting a small little packet. Ripping it open she took out the wipe and dabbed at the crook of his elbow. "This may feel a little weird, Reborn, so please just try to deal with it."

The tiny hitman didn't even get a chance to question, nor was his mouth able to form the words to do so, when Hana uncapped the syringe, looked at him as if thinking over something before standing up and resting her left arm against his chest to hold him down. Sticking the syringe in his arm felt no different than any other, it was what accompanied it that had him wanting to jolt up.

Yes it was easier to breath and his flesh didn't feel as if it wasn't on fire anymore. It was the oddness of something other invading his body that he had not accepted to happen that had him wanting to fight back. Without him noticing Hana pulled out the syringe, watching him with a careful eye as she uncapped the other one.

" _Nusyxs_ one has been given, time for the second."

The same sensation came over him again, though this time Reborn noted that he could tell what exactly was in the syringe.

Flames.

Hana was injecting flames into his body and whatever the mixture of them was, was fighting at whatever the hell he had contacted outside.

"We'll be screening you now," Hana looked away from him, mouth pursed. "Well Inoue-san will be screening you once she comes back, let's hope you've kept in good shape." She was about to walk away when she turned back to him, looking down at her watch and up at him again.

"It's been more than five minutes."

Time had been more than a little elusive, so he wasn't exactly too sure.

Hana scowled something fierce, reaching into her coat's pocket and pulling out a slim looking walkie talkie, "Kusakabe-san, time of which you found Reborn-san is needed."

There was a crackle, " _1158."_

A much younger Hana would have had a tick acting up, her left brow twitching whenever she got in a mood like this. This Hana's face completely blanked out, "1211, Reborn's still here."

" _Ah, that's a problem."_

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note:
> 
> I think the only part that needs explanation is the Nana's birthday contest part? Hayato's juggling to the Tarantella, though I forgot which version I listened too when writing that part of him. Hana, Kyoko and Ryohei are singing Three Little Maids (i'm still laughing, because originally Tsuna, Takeshi and Hayato were supposed to do that). I should probably note it next time, I'm pretty sure The little ones are retelling a disney tale? I don't remember, Takeshi and Tsuna, along with haru, are doing The Elder Scrolls IV, and doing a 'dramatic' retelling. Natsume learned (and spent a lot of time practicing) Isn't she lovely by Stevie Wonder.
> 
> La Strega Nera hopefully translates to "The Black Witch", if not, I'll fix it...somehow.
> 
> Anyways, thanks for all the kudos and comments guys! I'm glad you're all liking this!
> 
> Til next time,
> 
> Sorugao

**Author's Note:**

> **Author Note:**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> And there's the first chapter, mostly introductions of how I see the characters and all that, if anyone tries to tell me I'm wrong about Nana I will fight you, so don't poke at it. I've given a bit of each parent and now the rest is for the children. The twins were born in 1992 and there will be references to pop culture that hasn't come out because of what Natsume's past life remembers. If you guys can guess what I'm referencing kudos to you!
> 
> (1) I thought of Yzma from _The Emperor's New Groove_
> 
> There was also a grudge reference, but that movie hadn't come out yet since its like the late 1990s and that came out during 2002, I think? At least the Japanese one.
> 
> I mentioned before in the last fic that Natsume was kind of weird and I feel like I never really showed that, so her referencing things that are yet to happen or recalling certain things will be one of those. Also memes. This fic will move between stupidly funny humor to angst to seriousness and back to stupid humor, or at least I'll try to do that.
> 
> If you guys have any questions or anything, don't hesitate to ask me (unless you're going to ask about pairings or the next update and I will be honest and say that I don't know *shrug emoji*.
> 
> Until Next Time Guys~
> 
> Sorugao

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Once Upon A Time](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8249195) by [McADDBaby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/McADDBaby/pseuds/McADDBaby)




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